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SCMP Reporter

Pleas for clemency from mainland officials failed to save a corrupt former Communist Party cadre from a 3.5-year jail sentence yesterday.

 Wang Jianjun, 38, burst into tears in the dock of the District Court as his lawyer, Clive Grossman, SC, read letters praising him as honest, trustworthy and reliable.

 'He is essentially a good man in a culture of corruption . . . in a culture that believes accepting bribes is completely open,' Mr Grossman said.

  Judge Donald Christie had earlier found Wang, who joined the private sector in 1988, guilty of soliciting almost $10 million in bribes and accepting more than $2 million in a cross-border vehicle licence scam.

 Mr Grossman read a series of letters to the court.

 'I beg your honour to pass a lenient sentence so that Wang can reform himself and re-engage in the social services,' wrote Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference member Li Juewen.

 'He is a person of strong responsibility. I hope your honour can give him a chance to correct his mistake,' wrote Luo Guosheng, a standing committee member of the Shenzhen People's Congress.

 Other letters came from Hu Weipeng, Nie Shi town mayor in Linxiang city, and the vice-chairman of the Shenzhen Municipal General Chambers of Commerce, Qiu Jingyu.

 Wang donated money to his native Linxiang city in Hunan province to build three primary schools between 1995 and 1997.

 'I beg your honour to consider the plight of the orphans like us, pardon him, so that we can have a chance to continue with our studies,' wrote Wang Fengzhi, 10, one of six students whose education was sponsored by Wang.

 Wang, a PLA soldier for five years before pursuing a degree at Wuhan University in the 1980s, worked as a secretary to the Communist Party committee in Shenzhen in 1988.

  The cadre joined state-owned Shum Yip Holdings in Hong Kong in December 1988 and became a director of subsidiary Shum Yip Transportation in 1991.

 He was promoted to general manager in 1993.

  Wang was convicted on Tuesday of six counts of soliciting advantages worth $9,798,000 and 20 of taking bribes worth $2.32 million over five years ending last August.

 Shum Yip was entitled to obtain the cross-border licences from the mainland authorities, but Wang overcharged owners of two transport companies when he passed the licences on to them.

 'These are multiple offences over a long period of time involving a substantial amount of money,' the judge said.

  Wang was ordered to repay Shum Yip $2.12 million - the bribes he pocketed.

  A cheque for the other $200,000 had not been cashed when Wang was arrested on October 29 last year - his 38th birthday.

  Judge Christie said he would have jailed Wang for 4.5 years but for his 'extraordinary record of work in China'.

 'Wang, through his drive as general manager, turned [Shum Yip] into a very profitable company,' he said. 'The same drive had been shown by the defendant in community services and charity projects.'   In 1991, he gave 130,000 yuan (HK$120,900) for flood victims.



Ex-cadre jailed for graft despite mainland pleas