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Organized crime racketeers on trial
By Li Jing (China Daily)
Updated: 2004-02-10 09:06
An 34-member underworld organized crime gang involving two former police
officers went on trial Monday at the Tieling Intermediate People's Court in
Northeast China's Liaoning Province.
Prosecutors presented a 52-page indictment related to what is known as the
"8.29 Underworld Case" in Panjin. It is the longest indictment ever presented in
courts in the nation.
Liu Jun, former head of a police substation in Shuangtaizi District of the
city's Public Security Bureau, is alleged to be a key member of a crime gang.
Liu Xiaoming, former vice-director of the Shuangtaizi police branch, is also
suspected to be part of the ring.
According to prosecutors, the underworld organization - headed by Liu Xiaojun
and Yan Yuguang - is suspected of being involved in murders, smuggling, drug
trafficking, gambling, a number of burglaries and dozens of other crimes, which
did great damage to the economic and social fabric of Panjin.
The gang came into being in 1998 and grew into a large-scale organized crime
operator by 2002, according to the prosector's allegations presented in court.
The indictment shows that the ring boss, Liu Xiaojun, has amassed huge wealth
and property through crimes between 1993 and 2002, such as smuggling, gambling
and various cases of burglary. His net worth has reached approximately 40
million yuan (US$4.8 million).
Liu allegedly wooed and corrupted officials to seek their protection for his
gang members' street activities.
Lu Changsheng, an official with the Tieling People's Court, told China Daily
the first hearings on the case would last at least one week because a number of
suspects and details about the people involved and the cases are complicated.
Lu said the underworld organization is just one of several criminal gangs
discovered in Panjin since August 29, 2002, and the crime ring cases are jointly
called the "8.29 Panjin Case."
According to Lu, two criminal gangs - involving 16 people - were put on trial
last year. Five of the gangsters were sentenced to death.
Two police officials are involved in one of the criminal gangs headed by Wu
Ying. One is Feng Lijun, the former vice-director of the Public Security Bureau
of Panshan County. The other is Wang Feng, an officer with the Public Security
Bureau of Panjin.
Feng was sentenced to three years' imprisonment for taking bribes while Wang
was sentenced to two years' imprisonment for offering protection for Wu's
criminal enterprises and gang members.
In another development, an underworld organization that involves some 20
gangsters and seven judicial officials went before judges to hear allegations
against them yesterday at the Hefei Intermediate People's Court in East China's
Anhui Province.
The criminal gang, based in Suzhou city of Hefei, is headed by Liang Huaxue
and most of its members are Liang's relatives.
According to local prosecutors, the seven judicial officials took bribes from
Liang and protected the underworld in their dealing with several cases committed
by the gangsters.
The court said the trial was expected to last about 10
days.
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