Xi critic jailed for corruption

His outspokenness had earned the former chairman of state-owned property developer Huayuan Group the nickname Big Cannon

BEIJING (AFP) — A Chinese tycoon who called President Xi Jinping a clown and criticized his handling of the coronavirus outbreak was jailed for 18 years on Tuesday for corruption, bribery and embezzlement of public funds.

Ren Zhiqiang — once among the ruling Communist Party’s inner circle — disappeared from the public eye in March, shortly after penning an essay that lambasted Xi’s pandemic response.

His outspokenness had earned the former chairman of state-owned property developer Huayuan Group the nickname “Big Cannon.”

Tuesday’s verdict said Ren embezzled almost 50 million yuan ($7.4 million) of public funds and accepted bribes worth 1.25 million yuan, according to a statement from the Beijing No. 2 Intermediate People’s Court.

Rights campaigners accuse Xi and the Communist Party of using corruption charges to silence dissent.

It said the 69-year-old “voluntarily and truthfully confessed all his crimes,” and would not appeal the court’s decision.

He was also fined 4.2 million yuan ($620,000).

Rights campaigners accuse Xi and the Communist Party of using corruption charges to silence dissent.

Beijing has stepped up its crackdown on civil society since Xi took power in 2012, tightening restrictions on freedom of speech and detaining hundreds of activists and lawyers.

Tuesday’s verdict claimed that Ren also “abused his power” in his role at Huayuan Group, which caused more than 116 million yuan of losses to the state-owned holding company and more than 53 million yuan worth of property losses for the group.

The Communist Party’s disciplinary watchdog launched an investigation into Ren in April, and the trial opened at a Beijing court on 11 September with a handful of supporters outside and a heavy police presence.