Hot on Facebook

Angry Dad Shoots Daughter's Laptop ... after she criticized her parents on Facebook »

Triad Trial Exposes Chinese Corruption

Tycoons, party officials snared in Chongqing crackdown

By Rob Quinn, Newser Staff

Posted Nov 4, 2009 2:12 AM CST

(Newser) – A mass trial of Chinese gangsters in Chongqing has exposed a vast network of corruption amid the mega-city's police and Communist Party officials. Thousands of suspects, including dozens of high-ranking officials and top businessmen, have been arrested in an effort to crack down on the city's triads. Six have already been sentenced to death, and Xie Caiping, "the godmother of the Chongqing underworld," received an 18-year sentence yesterday, the New York Times reports.

Xie, sister-in-law of the city's deputy police chief, ran some 30 illegal casinos and had 16 young male lovers on the payroll, according to prosecutors. Crime gangs in China rely on the cooperation of the Communist Party, one analyst notes, "but when things get out of hand, as they did in Chongqing, the party can really go after these groups with a vengeance."

[Images (1)]

[Quotes (1)]

Xie Caiping, left, and other gangster suspects stand trial at the Intermediate People's Court in Chongqing, China, yesterday. (AP Photo)

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

The bandits used to live in the mountains; now they live in the Public Security Bureau. - Chongqinq vegetable seller Zheng Yi

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

To report an error on this story, notify our editors.

More Newser Stories

China Leaders Love Luxe Cars

Activists fume as officials drive Bentleys, Maseratis

(NEWSER) - China's political leaders have long loved pricey cars, but public anger is rising over bureaucrats who wheel around in Bentleys and Maseratis, reports the LA Times . Defying government censorship, angry citizens are snapping photos of luxury autos and posting them on websites. "Corruption on wheels is an accurate description of this problem," says a Beijing professor who has been campaigning for years against political leaders buying luxury cars. More»

Rebel Chinese Village Wins Concessions

Wukan roadblocks lifted, land to be returned

(NEWSER) - They fought the law and, for now, it looks like they won. Villagers in southern China who rebelled against the Communist Party over a land grab and the death of a village negotiator in police custody have had some of their demands met, AP reports. Authorities have agreed to release four detained villagers from Wukan and return confiscated land to farmers. More»

China's Censors Crack Down on Bloggers

Microblogs, TV muzzled to prevent 'excessive entertainment'

(NEWSER) - After years of appearing to lighten up, China’s Communist Party is clamping down on free expression. This week it ordered 34 major satellite television stations to limit themselves to two 90-minute entertainment shows a week, and to broadcast state-approved news daily, the New York Times reports. Government officials say they’re trying to guard against “excessive entertainment or vulgar tendencies.” One such vulgar tendency: reality show voting. Industry insiders are convinced a talent show was shut down recently because its text-in gimmick seemed too reminiscent of actual voting. More»

Show-Off Mistress Tips Chinese to Red Cross Graft

Charity accused of embezzling public donations

(NEWSER) - One young woman's online boasting will likely derail the gravy train for a lot of people involved with the Red Cross Society of China. After the 20-year-old vamp's posts on China's equivalent of Twitter showed her with luxury cars and designer goods and identified her as a Red Cross manager, outraged Internet users searched for her real identity and sparked a massive scandal in the process, CNN reports. More»

China Plans Massive Surveillance Network

Cisco, other Western companies are poised to help

(NEWSER) - China is preparing a surveillance network with an area bigger than New York City—and Cisco is among the Western companies set to help. China says the system of up to 500,000 cameras is aimed at preventing crime, but human rights advocates fear it could be used to stamp out political dissent, the Wall Street Journal reports. Under construction for the next few years in the city of Chongqing, the project is due to stretch across 400 square miles. More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website

Triad Trial Exposes Chinese Corruption