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Wednesday 10 June 2009
Mayor paid his way to top
Disgraced Shenzhen mayor Xu Zongheng had spent millions of yuan trying to buy his way to the top position in the city and had angered many parties with his arrogant behaviour, sources said.
Disgraced Shenzhen mayor Xu Zongheng had spent millions of yuan trying to buy his way to the top position in the city and had angered many parties with his arrogant behaviour, sources said.
Mr. Xu, who was detained on Friday and taken away from Shenzhen, was accused of scheming to get Shenzhen party boss Liu Yupu’s position once Mr. Liu stepped down.
Sources said Mr. Xu, Shenzhen’s first locally promoted mayor, was so keen on advancement he offered bribes to boost his chances of promotion.
One source said Mr. Xu got his position as mayor mainly by buying support from different camps.
He grew excited early this year over rumours that Mr. Liu, who turns 60 in August, would soon step down and be transferred out of Shenzhen. Mr. Liu was later tipped to take over from Chen Shaoji , arrested for alleged corruption, as Guangdong’s top political adviser.
Sensing his chance had finally arrived, Mr. Xu started an aggressive lobbying campaign to win more support, government sources said.
Once known for his low-key, hard-working image, he had courted media attention in recent months. He appeared on a CCTV talk show in Beijing during the annual National People’s Congress session in March, when he boasted of his achievements in Shenzhen. A source said an actress friend of Mr. Xu’s had arranged for him to join the popular programme.
Government sources said Mr. Xu spent most of his time in Beijing during the NPC session building relationships and seeking support. “He has no direct links or powerful patrons in the higher echelons, so he tried to buy his way up,” a source said.
The tactic backfired as a number of people he approached later reported him. Mr. Xu, who became mayor of Shenzhen in 2005, had also angered powerful parties by being arrogant.
A source from a ministry-level central government organisation in Hong Kong said that in 2006 Mr. Xu swapped a reserved land parcel near the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Western Corridor on which the organisation was going to build an office for a strip in a remote suburban area. He then sold the reserved land to a developer. The source said leaders of the organisation were deeply offended.
Shi Dongbing, a dissident writer who claimed he was jailed after being framed by Mr. Xu, recently detailed on his blog the corruption allegations surrounding Mr. Xu. “Xu has climbed up the power ladder really fast. He has gathered a bunch of henchmen around him and these people have helped him to collect bribes and build connections. His sister-in-law in particular is the one who represents him in these shady dealings.”
A bank source said yesterday that senior bank managers had been summoned to a meeting before Mr. Xu’s arrest by anti-corruption authorities. They were asked to freeze bank accounts linked to Mr. Xu as the authorities worried he might try to escape overseas.
A government source also said Mr. Xu had an escape plan in case he was exposed. But he was taken down before he could make any move.
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Mayor paid his way to top
More details of shady deals in Shenzhen
10 June 2009
Disgraced Shenzhen mayor Xu Zongheng had spent millions of yuan trying to buy his way to the top position in the city and had angered many parties with his arrogant behaviour, sources said.
Mr. Xu, who was detained on Friday and taken away from Shenzhen, was accused of scheming to get Shenzhen party boss Liu Yupu’s position once Mr. Liu stepped down.
Sources said Mr. Xu, Shenzhen’s first locally promoted mayor, was so keen on advancement he offered bribes to boost his chances of promotion.
One source said Mr. Xu got his position as mayor mainly by buying support from different camps.
He grew excited early this year over rumours that Mr. Liu, who turns 60 in August, would soon step down and be transferred out of Shenzhen. Mr. Liu was later tipped to take over from Chen Shaoji , arrested for alleged corruption, as Guangdong’s top political adviser.
Sensing his chance had finally arrived, Mr. Xu started an aggressive lobbying campaign to win more support, government sources said.
Once known for his low-key, hard-working image, he had courted media attention in recent months. He appeared on a CCTV talk show in Beijing during the annual National People’s Congress session in March, when he boasted of his achievements in Shenzhen. A source said an actress friend of Mr. Xu’s had arranged for him to join the popular programme.
Government sources said Mr. Xu spent most of his time in Beijing during the NPC session building relationships and seeking support. “He has no direct links or powerful patrons in the higher echelons, so he tried to buy his way up,” a source said.
The tactic backfired as a number of people he approached later reported him. Mr. Xu, who became mayor of Shenzhen in 2005, had also angered powerful parties by being arrogant.
A source from a ministry-level central government organisation in Hong Kong said that in 2006 Mr. Xu swapped a reserved land parcel near the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Western Corridor on which the organisation was going to build an office for a strip in a remote suburban area. He then sold the reserved land to a developer. The source said leaders of the organisation were deeply offended.
Shi Dongbing, a dissident writer who claimed he was jailed after being framed by Mr. Xu, recently detailed on his blog the corruption allegations surrounding Mr. Xu. “Xu has climbed up the power ladder really fast. He has gathered a bunch of henchmen around him and these people have helped him to collect bribes and build connections. His sister-in-law in particular is the one who represents him in these shady dealings.”
A bank source said yesterday that senior bank managers had been summoned to a meeting before Mr. Xu’s arrest by anti-corruption authorities. They were asked to freeze bank accounts linked to Mr. Xu as the authorities worried he might try to escape overseas.
A government source also said Mr. Xu had an escape plan in case he was exposed. But he was taken down before he could make any move.
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