Five senior judges from Shenzhen's Intermediate People's Court
have been arrested on corruption charges.
The judges, a vice-president, three court presidents and a
retired judge, were arrested in a series of raids between June and
October, Chinese-language newspaper The Democracy and Law
Times reported on Monday.
Another 20-odd judges and lawyers are also reportedly involved
in what has become the special economic zone's largest judicial
scandal since its establishment.
The local government refused to comment on the scandal
yesterday.
"The court is an independent judiciary," a government spokesman
told China Daily. "We suggested it give some response to
the media after we read the report, but so far we have got nothing
from them."
Li Rujian, spokesman for Shenzhen Intermediate People's Court,
said no comment would be made on cases with no official
prosecution, adding that the media should be cautious when
reporting on incomplete cases.
The corruption cases, believed to be linked, were initially
triggered by a Shenzhen People's Procuratorate investigation into
the relationship between retired judge Liao Zhaohui and an auction
house boss.
Both were arrested after investigations showed Liao had taken
bribes from the boss whilst serving as president of the execution
division.
In early June, Zhang Tinghua, president of the bankruptcy court,
was arrested shortly after moving to new offices. Procurators
recovered 100,000 yuan (US$12,700) in cash from his car.
Rumors are circulating that procurators also found more than 1.5
million yuan (US$190,000) in cash, including HK$1.2 million
(US$154,000), hidden in his office.
Pei Hongquan, vice-president of Shenzhen Intermediate People's
Court, was arrested in October after two female court presidents,
one of whom is his former wife, were placed under special
measures.
Officials from the Central Commission?for Discipline
Inspection are said to have found more than 27 million yuan (US$3.4
million) as well as US$950,000, hidden behind air-conditioners,
toilets and inside the gold-fish pool at his house.
Pei, 51, launched a reforms package aimed at improving judicial
efficiency when he became president of a district court in
1999.
As a result, he reaped numerous honours, including the "Good
Judge That People Are Most Satisfied With" award from the national
court system.
The Democracy and Law Times report cited an insider as
saying that investigation teams formed by the Central Commission of
Discipline Inspection and Ministry of Supervision have been
stationed in Guangdong Province.
"The investigation teams' leaders have vowed to continue their
investigation until they thoroughly solve the problem and get rid
of judicial crime in Shenzhen," said the report. The scandal has
broken amidst a renewed anti-corruption trumpet call by the central
government.
Xiao Yang, president of the Supreme People's
Court, has reiterated the importance of fighting corruption on
several occasions of late, and requested courts at different levels
to enhance anti-corruption measures.
(China Daily November 8, 2006)