TWO former officials with Shenzhen Municipal Firefighting Supervision Bureau stood trial Tuesday at Yantian People’s Court for alleged corruption.

    The former chief of the construction approval department, surnamed Zhu, and his deputy, surnamed Li, were charged with taking 580,000 yuan (US$92,800) and 180,000 yuan, respectively, in bribes.

    The two pleaded guilty at the trial and both asked for leniency for having voluntarily reported corruption of their supervisors.

    According to the prosecutors, Zhu and Li’s corruption was exposed by a project manager, identified as Ma, who paid bribes to pass fire safety inspections by the department in 2013.

    Zhu started taking bribes in 2012, totaling at least 580,000 yuan, which he extorted using various methods, such as demanding 100,000 yuan from a company manager as a donation for the construction of a basketball court in his hometown in 2013. But he kept the money for himself and didn’t give it to his hometown, according to statements made in the trial.

    Zhu also took 300,000 yuan in bribes from a project contractor, surnamed Zheng, whose facilities failed fire safety standards and requirements. The department ordered a rectification of Zheng’s facilities after an inspection. At the end of 2013, they passed the re-examination. Zhu took 300,000 yuan from Zheng during the 2014 Spring Festival.

    Zhu said had testified against the former deputy chief of the firefighting bureau, Liu Yuehong, for corruption and asked for leniency.

    The 45-year-old Li, who had worked in the public security system for 21 years, was charged with taking 180,000 yuan in bribes between 2007 and 2014. Li asked for leniency from the court for reporting Zhu’s crime of demanding the 100,000-yuan bribe.

    Shenzhen Municipal People’s Procuratorate has investigated seven people in the bureau for alleged corruption and embezzlement since September 2014.

    On Oct. 29, 2014, Xie Zhuohao, director of Futian District Public Security Sub-bureau, was investigated for serious disciplinary violations. Xie served as head of the firefighting bureau for two years between 2011 and 2013.

    The investigation on Xie is linked to the corruption cases of the seven other officials of the firefighting department. The promotion of Xie as head of Futian District Public Security Sub-bureau in September 2013 had left a vacancy for his deputies and triggered a battle for power inside the firefighting bureau that led to an investigation into crimes within the department, which had about 60 staff members. (Han Ximin)