China executes ex-justice chief for mafia link

Beijing, Jul 7: Former justice chief and deputy police chief, Wen Qiang, of Chongqing metropolis was executed by Chinese government.

Wen was sentenced to death in Apr 2010 for protecting gangs, bribery, rape and property scamming.

Wen took bribes totaling more than 12 million yuan (1.76 million U.S. dollars) personally or through his wife, Zhou Xiaoya, from 1996 to 2009. In return, he offered posts for officials and helped companies and business people obtain illegal profits.

Wen was also accused of shielding five major organized crime gangs in Chongqing after accepting bribes worth 756,500 yuan. In Aug 2007, Wen raped a university student after making her drunk.

Chongqing courts have sentenced dozens of people to death or long jail terms over the past several months as part of the crackdown in the sprawling city of more than 30 million.

The trials were initially popular with the media and the public, who are fed up with police corruption and crime, but the rush to judgement has concerned some in the Chinese legal community.

OneIndia News