Corrupt official’s big stash of bribes
The senior Chinese official had a single bed and no other furniture in his Beijing flat – a spartan lifestyle of which President Xi Jinping would heartily approve.
Except that under the bed, Wei Pengyuan had stashed away illgotten gains in cardboard boxes bursting with banknotes.
Concealed there, and inside bags and suitcases kept in wall cabinets, the energy official had amassed NZ$42 million worth of bribes, in Chinese yuan, United States and Hong Kong dollars, euros, and sterling.
The record-breaking haul led to his conviction on corruption charges this week, and a suspended death sentence likely to be commuted to life imprisonment.
Besides joining the long list of high-ranking officials brought down by Xi’s crackdown on corruption, Wei also starred in a renewed propaganda drive.
Before an important Communist Party meeting next week, when Xi is expected to demand that every member and official show more discipline, state TV aired an unusually warts-and-all documentary series about corruption in the top ranks.
China Central Television broadcast footage taken two years ago of anti-corruption staff struggling to deal with Wei’s treasure trove. More than ten Bank of China staff took 14 hours to count his loot. One of their five counting machines burned out in the process.
Wei had seemed low-key to his colleagues, who were impressed by him commuting on a fold-up bicycle. Investigators found that he drove his Audi to a car park, then took out the bike for the last stretch.
Wei confessed that he took bribes for approving coal projects nationwide. He said he wanted to ensure that his children and grandchildren avoided the poverty he endured in childhood.