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Saturday, 24 October 2009
Chongqing choppers ‘just friends’
An alleged Chongqing triad boss has pleaded not guilty to most of the charges against him, saying chopping attacks against rivals were carried out by members of his group out of nothing more than “friendship”, local media reported.
An alleged Chongqing triad boss has pleaded not guilty to most of the charges against him, saying chopping attacks against rivals were carried out by members of his group out of nothing more than “friendship”, local media reported.
Twin brothers Zhang Bo and Zhang Tao were founders and masterminds of the criminal syndicate, reported Cqnews.net, an affiliate of the Communist Party’s Chongqing Municipal Committee.
The Chongqing No 2 Intermediate People’s Court started hearing the case, involving 24 defendants from Wanzhou district, yesterday. The 23-year-olds and their subordinates face five charges: organising and leading mafia-like gangs, opening and running casinos, intentional injury, intentionally damaging others’ property and false imprisonment.
A crackdown on triads and the officials protecting them began in June on the orders of Bo Xilai, the municipality’s party secretary. More than 2,000 people, including hundreds of police and officials, have been detained.
The report said Zhang Bo made no attempt to deny owning a casino, but argued that doing so involved recruiting some of the defendants as casual workers to provide security.
“Those guys were paid on a daily basis, no different from hiring a coolie,” he said, referring to the freelance porters who are a common sight along the Yangtze River in Chongqing. “It was entirely up to them to decide whether they wanted to come and work that day or any other.”
Zhang Bo said he had made less than 80,000 yuan (HK$90,000) from his casino and that his twin had no part in gambling. He denied any intention of forming a gang, establishing discipline within the “organisation” or distributing machetes.
“In regard to those who helped me in chopping my rivals, I think that they simply did it for the strong connections and the code of brotherhood between us,” he said.
Zhang Tao attempted to distance himself from the group’s crimes, but Xiong Dejiang, one of the syndicate ringleaders, testified that a gun he had used had been given to him on Zhang Tao’s orders.
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Chongqing choppers ‘just friends’
Choi Chi-yuk
20 October 2009
An alleged Chongqing triad boss has pleaded not guilty to most of the charges against him, saying chopping attacks against rivals were carried out by members of his group out of nothing more than “friendship”, local media reported.
Twin brothers Zhang Bo and Zhang Tao were founders and masterminds of the criminal syndicate, reported Cqnews.net, an affiliate of the Communist Party’s Chongqing Municipal Committee.
The Chongqing No 2 Intermediate People’s Court started hearing the case, involving 24 defendants from Wanzhou district, yesterday. The 23-year-olds and their subordinates face five charges: organising and leading mafia-like gangs, opening and running casinos, intentional injury, intentionally damaging others’ property and false imprisonment.
A crackdown on triads and the officials protecting them began in June on the orders of Bo Xilai, the municipality’s party secretary. More than 2,000 people, including hundreds of police and officials, have been detained.
The report said Zhang Bo made no attempt to deny owning a casino, but argued that doing so involved recruiting some of the defendants as casual workers to provide security.
“Those guys were paid on a daily basis, no different from hiring a coolie,” he said, referring to the freelance porters who are a common sight along the Yangtze River in Chongqing. “It was entirely up to them to decide whether they wanted to come and work that day or any other.”
Zhang Bo said he had made less than 80,000 yuan (HK$90,000) from his casino and that his twin had no part in gambling. He denied any intention of forming a gang, establishing discipline within the “organisation” or distributing machetes.
“In regard to those who helped me in chopping my rivals, I think that they simply did it for the strong connections and the code of brotherhood between us,” he said.
Zhang Tao attempted to distance himself from the group’s crimes, but Xiong Dejiang, one of the syndicate ringleaders, testified that a gun he had used had been given to him on Zhang Tao’s orders.
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