A FORMER deputy Party chief of Dapeng New Area was sentenced to 10 years and three months in jail for taking 1 million yuan (US$160,000) worth of bribes.

    The verdict by Yantian District People’s Court last week said Chen Xianwu abused his power and took bribes in the relocation project of Baguang Community and allowed the construction of illegal buildings in Kuichong Subdistrict during his tenure between 2002 and 2013 as a top official in Kuichong, Dapeng New Area.

    After the government decided to relocate Baguang Village for the construction of the city’s bio-valley, many local villagers rushed to build illegal structures to receive more compensation from the government. Law enforcement units set up inspection stations to prevent trucks from carrying construction materials into the village.

    Chen, head of the law enforcement department, ordered law enforcement units to allow in trucks owned by an illegal building constructor surnamed Ji after taking bribes. Ji received 5.2 million yuan in compensation for his illegal buildings, of which Chen received 150,000 yuan.

    Chen also helped a man surnamed Wang get a 3,500-square-meter land parcel in 2002, on which Wang invested 4 million yuan to build shops in 2003. Between 2009 and November 2013, Chen received 500,000 yuan from Wang. In 2005, Wang and three others also purchased a litchi orchard just before the land was turned into urban land during Dapeng’s urbanization. (Han Ximin)