Zhang Zhi’an

By Li Xiaoshu and Wen Ya

Thirty officials in Fuyang, Anhui Province, who “bought” their positions from a corrupt district Party secretary, are still in office, the Nanjing-based Modern Express reported yesterday.

“After an investigation, we were surprised to find that the corrupt officials were still in positions of power, even though Zhang (Zhi’an) was sacked on July 14, 2008,” it said.

Between 1994 and 2007, Zhang, the former Party secretary of the Yingquan district of Fuyang, received more than 3.5 million ($510,000) yuan in bribes from local officials for whom he “arranged” promotions, the Wuhu Intermediate People’s Procuratorate in Anhui said at the time.

He was also involved in selling positions within State-owned firms and was known for spending 14 million yuan on a government building, which resembled the White House and caused a huge public uproar.

On March 13, the Intermediate People’s Procuratorate in Wuhu approved bail for Zhang while he was awaiting trial.

The 14-million-yuan ($2 million) government building commissioned by Zhang Zhi’an in the Yingquan district of Fuyang. Photo: CFP

He was reported to Beijing authorities by Li Guofu, a former colleague.

Li was detained five months but died at the hospital of the No. 1 Prison in Anhui in March last year.

An investigation by prosecutors from Anhui last year concluded that Zhang had abused his authority for his own personal gain.

Li’s children sued Zhang for framing their father.

Li Denghui, son of Li Guofu, said he found out Zhang had been bailed on July 3.

“How could they do that when he is under investigation for corruption?” the Modern Express report quoted Li as saying.

“It will give him a chance to collude with other officials and leverage them to give false testimony in court,” he said.

Political scandals are not uncommon in Fuyang.

In 2006, the former chiefs of the Fuyang Intermediate People’s Court, Shang Jun, Liu Jiayi and Zhang Zimin, were arrested on bribery charges, while in 2000, Mayor Xiao Zuoxin was sentenced to life imprisonment and his wife was sentenced to death for selling official titles and taking bribes worth more than 1.1 million yuan.
 
The constant scandals are related to the political atmosphere in Fuyang, Wang Chunying, an associate professor in administrative management at the China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times yesterday.