News background:
Chen Shaoji (陈绍基): Former Chairman of the CPPCC Guangdong Province was as one of the top eight high-ranking officials who “fell off the horse” in 2009 And his mistress a female TV anchor Li Yong (李泳) was involved in Chen’s case. Li Yong is a Guangdong TV news broadcaster at the national level. She had a long-term career and many achievements in the “Guangdong TV News”. However because of her spending did not match with her normal income. Industry colleagues pointed out that she was driving a Mercedes-Benz then later was replaced by a Land Rover. After the incident Li Yong was under investigation for a business crime.
Chen was “Shuangkai” on August 27 2009. (Shuangkai: expel from the party; fire from office) Li Yong attempted to flee out of the country but was stopped by the police when she attempted to board a plane for Hong Kong.
From Netease:
Southern Net reported on October 19, according to sources, former Chairman of the CPPCC Guangdong Province Chen Shaoji’s mistress, Li Yong – former television anchor of Guangdong TV station stood on trial on September 30, 2010 at the Chongqing court. However, due to incomplete procedures, the case has not yet reached a verdict.
It is reported that the case was relatively simple, not as complicated as the rumors on the streets.
After Li Yong became Chen Shaoji’s mistress in 2008, under the arrangement of Chen Shaoji, funded by a Hong Kong businessman, Li purchased a Land Rover off-road vehicle which worth more than 1.3 million yuan.
Li Yong was Chen’s mistress for 6 – 7 years. In a casual conversation, Li Yong said with a tone of envy that a colleague of hers was driving an off-road vehicle, which looked very impressive. Although Li Yong did not ask Chen Shaoji to buy it for her, Chen remembered in his heart.
Chen thinks Li Yong as his most beloved woman. So he instructed a Hong Kong businessman to purchase a Land Rover for Li Yong. Then the Hong Kong businessman took Li Yong car-shopping, in the end Li Yong chose a Land Rover that cost more than 1.3 million yuan.
According to the sources, the entire case was just about this Land Rover vehicle.
Li Yong was born in 1976, from Jilin, tall and beautiful. According to sources, Li claims that Chen Shaoji and her only has emotional ties, and said she simply likes Chen Shaoji but there are no finical relationships between them.
Li Yong’s case has yet to finish, because the incomplete procedures during the arrest since April 18, 2009, the court is waiting for completing procedures to pass judgment.
Before the incident Li Yong worked at Guangdong Province TV Station as the news anchor. Her intimate relationship with Chen Shaoji was a public secret.
Chen Shaoji was convicted on July 23, 2010 by the Chongqing Court. Due to accepting huge amount of bribes (close to 30 million yuan) Chen was sentenced to death penalty with reprieve, and confiscation of all personal property.
24 comments
Sitting on my Land Rover’s sofa right now
No mercy for famous Xiaosans driving fuel-consuming Land Rovers. Those cars are much too pompous, eco-unfriendly and overpretentious for that matter. Lady Justice should wear a blindfold: regardless of identity, money, power, or weakness.
Why the hell would you go from a Mercedes-Benz to a Land Rover
She needed an auto to go countryside on poor roads or no roads OR she likes the way Paris Hilton rolls!
Top end Land Rovers are definitely a step up from a regular Mercedes. Status symbol? Yes. Crappy quality? Yes. Value for money? No.
She prefers Gandhi than Nazi. Get it?
“… her spending did not match with her normal income” –> I wonder how many officials would pass this test indeed!
Better question is, How many Americans would pass this test indeed!
Those fat bastards kept borrowing without thinking until the world is in recession.
Even better question, Le Chaveux: Are you a relative of a Chinese official? 🙂
Aside from the derogatory language you make an interesting comparison, though. Corrupt Chinese officialdom are creating property bubbles–and other unsustainable investment patterns–that will eventually come back to bite all of China in the ass.
Ah, good job redirecting the attention once again. If huge overspending and rogue investment signals corruption, then America is indeed rotting inside out.
crystal, ive known enough that a person in my business circle was just bragging a few days ago how she received a turkmenistan horse(some sort of breed like this) from a colleague as a gift…1. this horse is damn expensive 2. she is a gov official im sure all wouldnt pass this test
What will she do with the horse? 🙂
So… how is this illegal?
I was kinda thinking the same thing. If Chen was rich then I can’t really see how Li Yong should legally be able to tell that the car was bought for illegal funds hence refusing to accept it. Claiming ignorance seems to be a reasonable defense in this case. Morally it’s easy to judge her but legally it’s another story as I think the benefit of the doubt would be in her favor. Repossess the car but let Li Yong go seems the right outcome based on the (very limited) number of facts we have from this article.
I agree with your reasoning, GuoBao. However, this is assuming that China actually has rule of law.
This has the makings of a show trial, the moral of which will be that an official’s ‘ernai’ should know that when corruption activities benefit them (and their expensive whims), the consequences of those corrupt activities might also extend to them.
“,,when she tried to bored the plane to Hong Kong”
“,,when she tried to board a plane for Hong Kong.” would work better and get rid of the spelling mistake as well. Might even replace Tried with Attempted which has a bit more of a fugitive-from-justice ring to it.
Sorry I hate being that guy. Mjah,, who am I kidding. I love it 🙂
cool thanks.
li yongs face is mad round son
how is this illegal? expensive product purchased with dirty money.
but seriously i wouldnt wanna sit behind that head in the movie theater…
I want a sugarmommy.
I wonder the wives of these officials have male xiaosan?
1.3M RMB! That’s almost $200K USD! I went through the USA Land Rover website’s “build your Land Rover” and picked all the most expensive options on the most expensive base model and it was just under $108,000. I’ve noticed something about Chinese people that they’d rather brag about spending more than getting the same thing for a reasonable price. Crazy!
I know a guy who came to talk to a prospective one-on-one students parents for the first time. He names his price, 200 kuai an hour (it wasn’t a tier 1 city) whereupon the father suggests 300 instead. Perplexed the foreigner accepts. One month later he has a class with the kid -some 14 year old preparing for some kao and the talk ends up on why in the world his dad would pay much more than what the teacher wanted. “Well,,” the kid explains “I think my dad wanted to impress his business partners and friends, and since some of their kids already had 200-250 kuai teachers he needed to up one them”. Weird but I guess the story fits a society that’s all about face and guanxi.
Will the poor farmer be charged too if he/she received some kind of donation which have come from illegal source?
I get your point, but I’m just sitting here trying to imagine in what world this hypothetical situation would ever take place. Ever hear of any Chinese officials donating cars to poor farmers? The situation is so extremely unlikely. Let’s compare: gifts for corrupt guanxi at the behest of a kept woman vs. (if I understand you correctly) charitable donations taken from stolen money. At worst the money/items would be impounded, but the person who received them could not be considered an accomplice to the crime as the mistress might (it could be argued) be.
Just for the fun of it: Imagine a rotten-toothed farmer sweet-talking a ministry head into handing over a Land Rover!
The way I see it is that she is just a 3rd party and therefore should not be charged. If she can be charged, will a poor farmar be charged too if Chen has given the poor farmer a Farm Rover (I mean a farm tractor).