Ex-Datang GM gets death with reprieve

Kou Wei, former general manager of China Datang Corporation, was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve by a court in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region on Wednesday for multiple crimes, including bribery, embezzlement and abuse of power. The intermediate people's court in Hinggan league announced the conviction and sentence imposed on the 64-year-old Yunnan province native, detailing his offenses. According to the ruling, Kou accepted more than 154 million yuan ($22.4 million) in bribes from 1996 to 2024 in exchange for using his positions to benefit individuals and departments in project contracting, business operations and job promotions. The court said Kou deserved severe punishment because the amounts involved were "extremely large" and the losses caused to the state and the public were "extremely huge".

Fraud syndicate suspect repatriated

The Ministry of Public Security announced on Wednesday that Li Xiong, a key member of a major cross-border gambling and fraud syndicate, had been repatriated from Cambodia to China. Li is suspected of involvement in a range of offenses, including operating gambling dens, fraud, unlawful business operations, and concealing and disguising the proceeds of crime. He has been placed under criminal coercive measures, and the case remains under investigation, authorities said. The ministry added that several influential members of the syndicate had already been apprehended, and that it would step up efforts to pursue and bring the remaining fugitives to justice. Earlier this year, Chen Zhi, ringleader of the cross-border gambling and fraud ring, was repatriated from Cambodia to China.

Xinhua - China Daily