Xu Xiaogang, former vice director of the provincial public
security department of east China's Jiangxi Province, was sentenced
to life imprisonment for graft and illegal possession of guns on
Monday afternoon.
To ensure an impartial hearing, the trial was held by the
people's court of Quzhou in east China's Zhejiang Province on Feb.
15.
Xu, 56, was convicted of taking bribes of 4 million yuan
(US$519,025.6), 231,500 HK dollars, US$70,000 and 10,000 Euros
during his tenure as vice director of the public security
department of Jiangxi from 1997 to 2005. After 2005 he worked as
vice director of the Press and Publications Bureau of Jiangxi,
The court heard that Xu provided a "safety umbrella" for Xiong
Xinxing, the head of a criminal gang who was sentenced to death and
executed on Jan. 11. In return Xu received 850,000 yuan
(US$108,974.4), US$10,000 and two jade bracelets worth of 82,000
yuan (US$10,512.8) from Xiong.
The court also found that Xu, a fan of hunting, possessed six
guns in his office and home. The weapons were confiscated by the
public security bureau of Jiangxi.
Xu was arrested on May 11, 2006.
(Xinhua News Agency April 10, 2007)