Translated material
Olympic love
Beijing vice mayor on trial for corruption
Yesterday, the trial of the former vice-mayor of Beijing, 59-year-old Liu Zhihua, accused of corruption, began. The process is taking place in the city of Hengshui, Hebei Province, located several hours' drive from the Chinese capital. Liu was responsible for construction projects, many of which related to the 2008 Olympics. He was removed from his post and expelled from the party in the summer of 2006.According to media reports, while he was vice mayor, Liu received bribes and gifts worth a million US dollars from construction companies in exchange for lucrative orders. His mistress Wang Jianrui, who headed one of the Beijing construction companies, was also put on trial. Liu allegedly helped her obtain contracts for the construction of major Olympic venues, including a tennis center, field hockey and archery stadiums.
On the first day of the trial, Liu Zhihua looked strong and cheerful, and his wife and son were present in the courtroom. They will hear a lot of unpleasant things. Liu allegedly built himself a “travel palace” in the suburbs of Beijing - a luxurious visiting house with 150 rooms. He was ruined by a quarrel with one of his young mistresses surnamed Zhang. Having not received the promised reward, she filmed her amorous pleasures with the vice-mayor and handed over the hour-long recording to the competent authorities.
Liu Zhihua is the same age as the People's Republic of China. He was born in April 1949 and began his career as a miner in Liaoning province. Then he was hired by the Beijing Labor Department, and from there to the Ministry of Labor; in 1998, Liu took the post of vice mayor of the capital. In China, the number 59 is often called a “dangerous age” for an official - before retirement, many bureaucrats are tempted to use their powers to ensure a satisfying old age.
However, the story of the “travel palace” and the host of the vice-mayor’s mistresses caused bewilderment in Chinese society. For too long, the “object” and its inhabitants remained outside the sight of control bodies designed to combat the extortion of officials. If Liu had not quarreled with his mistress and she had not set a trap for him with incriminating evidence, the official would have continued to lead the life of a “werewolf” between his office in the mayor’s office and the “travel palace,” noted the author of publications on one of the Chinese websites.