A HIGH-RANKING Guangdong provincial official stood trial for corruption yesterday at Shenzhen Intermediate People’s Court, the Southern Metropolis Daily reported.

    Li Yongheng, a retired official from the province’s taxation bureau, was accused of taking 9.42 million yuan (US$1.54 million) and HK$650,000 (US$106,145) in bribes when he was chief of Guangdong Provincial Bureau of the State Administration of Taxation. Li’s wife, Jiang Yuan, was also transferred for a judicial investigation of joint crime.

    Ironically, Li reportedly had promoted clean governance and anti-corruption during his tenure.

    Li was arrested by Guangdong Provincial Public Security Department on Jan. 20, 2014 and was prosecuted by Shenzhen Municipal Procuratorate at the behest of Guangdong Higher People’s Court, the Daily report said.

    Prosecutors said that Li had exercised his right as a tax official to several enterprises’ advantage in exchange for bribes from those enterprises.

    Li allegedly received 300,000 yuan from Fujian Newland Computer Co. in 2006 after he helped the company win the bid for a fiscal cash register project in Guangdong.

    From 2009 to 2013, Li received 440,000 yuan from a Zhejiang software enterprise after he appointed the company as the supplier of an online corporate tax return system in Guangdong.

    Li was also accused of taking a bribe of 8.68 million yuan and HK$50,000 from Chaozhou Zhongxia Investment Co. after he retired from his position in the taxation bureau in August 2012.

    In January 2013, Li and his wife asked Zhan Pingbing, CEO of Chaozhou Zhongxia, to make payments on two homes in Guangzhou. In April 2013, the couple asked Zhan for 6.5 million yuan to pay for real estate in Australia.

    Li reportedly had close ties with Zhan and constantly flexed his muscles for Zhan on different occasions before his retirement.

    Li’s daughter reportedly received salaries totaling HK$60,000 from Perfect (China) Co., a Zhongshan City-based company, without actually working for the company after Li exerted his personal influence on the taxation bureau in Zhongshan.

    Li served as chief of the Shenzhen Municipal Taxation Bureau for two years, beginning in 1999.

    (Anna Zhao)