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Trial ends for ex-Chongqing police chief
By Wang Jingqiong (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-02-08 07:44
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The five-day trial of a former senior police official in Southwest China's Chongqing municipality, who has been accused of protecting gangs, rape and taking bribes, ended early yesterday, bringing to a close the highest-profile case yet in the huge mafia crackdown.
The Chongqing No 5 Intermediate People's Court said in a statement that a verdict would be announced at a later date.
Wen expressed his remorse at the end of the trial, claiming himself still "a man with a conscience".
"From a police director to an accused suspect, my experience is a warning to all officials and police. The changes that happened to me have many causes, but I mostly blame myself. I hope I'm the last policeman to stand here," Wen said in court.
During the trial, Wen's lawyers denied the charge of protecting gangs, and they deemed some of the money Wen received from others as "gifts of relations" instead of bribery.
The prosecutors said Wen, as deputy director of the Chongqing municipal public security bureau, covered up and connived with six mafia-style gangs.
The gang bosses are Wen's sister-in-law Xie Caiping, Ma Dang, Wang Tianlun, Yue Ning, Gong Gangmo and Wang Xiaojun.
Most of the gangs were engaged in operating gambling dens, loan sharking or clubs that harbored drug dealers and prostitutes.
Wen insisted that he and Xie had a bad relationship and they didn't even talk. As for the other gang bosses, he said he believed they were businessmen, not criminals, before his detention last August, and was not aware of the illegal businesses they operated.
In explaining the huge property his family owns, Wen disagreed with prosecutors' calculations that a lot of 'grey income' he took was bribery.
Prosecutors said in terms of income, the family could legally explain more than 4 million yuan, while more than 16 million yuan was gained illegally.
More than 15 million yuan in bribes from 19 organizations or individuals were given to Wen or his wife on 119 occasions from 1996 to 2009, when Wen was deputy director of the municipality's police bureau or director of its justice bureau, the charges claim.
And 786,000 yuan was accepted between 2000 and 2008 from six bosses of mafia-style organizations, who have either been convicted or are under prosecution.
This includes 181 bottles of vintage wine, 80 pieces of jewelry and watches, 36 fine works of art, nine cultural relics and 69 rolls of paintings - all recovered from 16 properties owned by the family, according to prosecutors.
In his 70-minute self defense, Wen articulated details of more than 140 occasions that he received money and insisted a lot of it was gifts for his birthday and spring festivals, which he said is normal etiquette and should not be considered bribery.
"Besides, I have had a hobby of collecting good wine for a long time. I disagree that only 40,000 yuan ($5,800) of my wine was gained legally," said Wen.
