Corrupt officials in China frequently pardoned or paroled
Staff Reporter 2013-02-25 08:50
Lin Chongzhong was sentenced to 10 years for corruption but was granted medical parole instead, despite reportedly having no serious medical condition. (Internet photo)
Many Chinese government officials sent to jail for corruption allegedly later obtained either a pardon, penalty reduction or medical parole, reports the China Youth Daily, the official newspaper of the Communist Youth League.
While a few corrupt officials have received the death penalty, many others were given early release. Lin Chongzhong, former deputy mayor of the city of Jiangmen in Guangdong province, is said to have avoided serving a single day of his 10-year prison sentence but was instead granted medical parole at a cost of 100,000 yuan (US$16,000). The same was true of Liu Yiming, the former deputy party secretary of the city of Chaozhou in the same province, who should have served a five-year sentence for taking bribes. The two officials allegedly have no health concerns that would necessitate medical parole.
A post on the internet also pointed out that Wu Jie, formerly the deputy secretary of Shanxi, was released the year before last, far short of his jail sentence. He reportedly received a hero's welcome from local officials and businesspeople on his return. The local government denied this and said Wu's release was legal.
The newspaper said officials are treated differently to common people and do not really pay a painful prices for their corrupt acts, a fact which will undermine the government's latest anti-corruption campaign and lead to even greater distrust of the government among the public.
