A community party chief from Foshan has denied embezzlement and bribery charges in a case involving 100 million yuan (HK$123 million) in land-acquisition funds.
Zheng Niansheng, the disgraced former party boss from Foshan's Zumiao subdistrict, appeared in Gaoming District People's Court on Monday to face charges that he colluded with a businessman last May to misdirect money meant for land acquisition, home relocation and homeowner compensation, Guangzhou Daily said yesterday.
Zheng was also accused accepting bribes worth 25 million yuan from businessmen between 2005 and last year, including 4 million yuan from the unidentified man involved in the embezzlement scheme. The defendant gave 2 million yuan to a mistress in Chengdu so she could shop for expensive gifts, prosecutors said.
Zheng denied the charges, and the court did not immediately hand down a verdict. He was arrested along with Zumiao's deputy party chief and a local construction official in August on suspicion of corruption involving renovations to the subdistrict's business centre.
Chen Shufeng, the deputy party boss, was sacked after a party disciplinary investigation, but was spared prosecution. Zhang Dongkai, the construction official accused of taking 400,000 yuan in bribes, was taken to court last week in Foshan, The Southern Metropolis News reported.
The case is just one of several of high-profile graft scandals to emerge amid a years-long corruption crackdown in Guangdong. A subdistrict usually covers a small neighbourhood or urban zone.
