Corrupt Chinese official ‘sought illicit gains by meddling in land deals’

Former Fujian deputy governor Xu Gang allegedly sought illicit personal gains by meddling in construction and real estate development in his five years on the job, mainland media reported yesterday.

Xu, 56, who was also party secretary of the Fujian city of Quanzhou, is being investigated by graft-busters. He was accused in March of “seriously violating discipline and law” – a standard euphemism for corruption on the mainland.

He is the first official from Fujian province – one of President Xi Jinping’s power bases – to become ensnared in the large-scale corruption crackdown that Xi launched after coming to power in late 2012.

Xu was closely involved in Quanzhou’s property development and allegedly pocketed more than 100 million yuan (HK$126 million) in return for approving land deals for real estate projects, The Beijing News reported.

The report, which quoted Quanzhou real estate developer Zeng Qinghuang, said Xu was influential among the city’s property developers. Another businessman, who was not named, told the newspaper that Xu held “secret shares” in some real estate projects.

During Xu’s tenure as Quanzhou party chief, Xie Qingping, a grass-roots official in the city’s Shuangyang community, allegedly helped Xu’s relatives acquire a plot of land for a real estate project, the newspaper reported.

Xie was promoted to the city’s work safety administration in 2013, allegedly in return for helping Xu in real estate projects.