Greed key motivation behind officials’ illegal actions

Editor’s note: Corruption Fight Is AlwaysUnderway, a documentary produced by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and CCTV, continues to broadcast the stories of former senior officials accused of corruption during the country’s anti-graft drive. The series, which began lastMonday, consists of eight episodes over nine days (Saturday was excluded) at 8 pmon CCTV-1. The interviews were conducted while the former officials were detained, but before any court action.

Pan Guangxu,

aformerofficialatthelandexpropriation autonomousregion

According to the documentary, Pan asked local villagers to provide fake identification cards and forged documents for land expropriation projects between December 2012 to May 2013.

He collected 3 million yuan ($443,000) in compensation by using the fabricated documents. Another 15 officials and functionaries have been found in cahoots with Pan and collected a total of about 280 million yuan by using fabricated relocation information. According to disciplinary authorities in Yinhai district in March, 11 of the officials have been jailed, three have been expelled fromtheParty, one has been removed froma public post and another has been given a warning. Zhang Shilong, formerheadofthesocialwelfare officeinNingyangcountyofTaian,Shandongprovince

The court in Ningyang county sentenced him to 10 years and six months in prison on Oct 22, 2014. Zhang later appealed to the Taian Intermediate People’s Court, but was rejected.

The documentary shows that Zhang embezzled 157,400 yuan in public funds for kids of about 20 families in destitution. The children are either orphans or live with disabled parents.

Zhang told the families that the monthly benefits would start to be distributed in October 2013, though the money should have been given to the families starting in January that year.

LIU CHAOFU / FOR CHINA DAILY Villagers fire guns during a performance for tourists in Biasha village, Guizhou province, in October.