Saturday 22 November 2008

Shenzhen Top Policeman Held Over Nightclub Fire

More than 100 million yuan in cash - the stacked bills were the size of a king-sized bed - was found in his apartment, the paper said.

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Guanyu said...

Shenzhen Top Policeman Held Over Nightclub Fire

He Huifeng
22 November 2008

A senior Shenzhen police official has been detained for his involvement in a nightclub fire that killed 44 people, a newspaper reported yesterday.

The Hong Kong-based Wen Wei Po said Chen Xuming, deputy head of the public security bureau of the city’s Longgang district, was implicated when police discovered his name in the financial records belonging to the owner of the Dance King club, where the blaze broke out on September 20.

A police investigation found Mr Chen had shares in several entertainment venues in the district, both licensed and unlicensed.

The report said he was in charge of monitoring entertainment industry management until he was detained. It said he wrote in a notebook that he had paid his superiors about 20 million yuan (HK$22.7 million) to be promoted to the post.

More than 100 million yuan in cash - the stacked bills were the size of a king-sized bed - was found in his apartment, the paper said.

Shenzhen authorities have arrested 27 people, including 10 government officials, for alleged involvement in the deadly fire, which broke out just before midnight when a performer reportedly lighted fireworks inside the crowded club.

Following the fire, the Shenzhen fire department said it had uncovered nearly 4,000 instances of fire safety violations during checks on about 2,000 venues. Longgang district is home to hundreds of legal and illegal bars and nightclubs.