Disgraced minister had sex with TV stars, report says
Mainland media continued yesterday to publish juicy details of disgraced former railways minister Liu Zhijun's mistresses, with one report saying a businesswoman linked to the scandal had arranged for Liu to have sex with television stars.
A report by the outspoken New Century magazine said Shanxi businesswoman Ding Shumiao - whose dealings with Liu are said to have led to him being placed under investigation in January - had arranged for Liu to have sex with attractive young women, including stars from a television series in which she had invested about 50 million yuan (HK$59 million).
That series is believed to be Dream of the Red Chamber, based on a classic novel about ancient nobles and their love affairs. The magazine did not name the stars and deleted the report from its website a day later.
Meanwhile, the identity of the stars who were among Liu's bevy of up to 18 mistresses was one of the hottest topics on the internet yesterday.
Ding, 55, reportedly earned several hundred million yuan in bribes when she helped contractors win bids for projects in the multitrillion-yuan high-speed rail system by taking advantage of her close relationship with Liu, 58. The magazine said many of the contractors that bribed Ding and Liu were state-owned companies.
The mainland began investing heavily in high-speed rail from 2006, and more than 1.9 trillion yuan has been spent on such projects in the past four years.
Liu was sacked last month and investigated for 'severe violation of discipline'.
