WUNRN
CHINA - MISTRESSES PROVIDE
INFORMATION RESOURCE ON CORRUPTION
Anti-graft authorities in this industrial city are using the mistresses of officials to find out about their corrupt practices.
"At least 80 percent of corrupt officials exposed in Dongguan had mistresses who gave us important information that we did not possess," Zhou Yuefeng, deputy director of the Dongguan anti-graft bureau, told China Daily yesterday.
However, he declined to give details of the cases.
China's public servants regulation, which took effect a year ago, stipulates that any official must be dismissed if found to have a mistress.
Besides having mistresses, Zhou said receiving bribes in the form of share dividends was also common among corrupt officials in Dongguan and the authorities are closely watching the situation.
"Our focus this year will be on the taxation and medical departments." he said. "However, that doesn't mean we won't be looking at corruption in other areas."
Luo Dongsheng, former director of a town's fire brigade in Dongguan, was recently sentenced to five years' imprisonment for receiving a "share dividend" of 1.61 million yuan ($234,000) from a fire prevention equipment company.
Luo was not a shareholder nor was he involved in the operations of the company. The dividend was a reward for promoting its business.
In another case, 48 customs officers of Fenggang city were found to have received "monthly salaries" ranging from HK$2,000 to HK$5,000 each from 2001 to 2005 from a local smuggling gang.
Zhou said most of the occupational crimes in Dongguan were complicit ones, as new laws had made it much more difficult for individuals to act alone.
He said 32 out of the 38 corruption cases handled by the city's procuratorate last year, and in the first five months of this year, were complicit ones.
"A growing number of corrupt officials are trying to circumvent the law. We welcome tip-offs and we will protect and reward informers," Zhou said.
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http://blogs.wsj.com/chinajournal/2008/06/26/mistresses-enlisted-in-the-fight-against-corruption/
The Wall Street Journal
China Journal
June
26, 2008
In the south China manufacturing city of Dongguan, the lovers of corrupt officials have become a very useful tool in graft investigations.
“At least 80 percent of corrupt officials exposed in Dongguan had mistresses who gave us important information that we did not possess,” Zhou Yuefeng, deputy director of the Dongguan anti-graft bureau, told the China Daily, without providing details of specific cases.
Chinese leaders constantly worry about the potential for government corruption to undermine the Communist Party’s rule in China, and last week they announced a broad five-year anti-corruption plan. Many corrupt officials use illegally gained funds to set up apartments and lavish gifts on other women, known as “second wives.” Last year, the central government sought to crack down on officials’ mistresses after a series of embarrassing scandals involving the sex lives of senior officials, and new rules were issued that makes keeping a mistress a firable offense for public servants.
Mistresses who suddenly lose their financial support when their lovers are arrested may find themselves in vulnerable positions, though authorities seem willing to help out in turn.
“We welcome tip-offs and we will protect and reward informers,” Zhou said.
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