A WOMAN stood trial at Shenzhen Intermediate People’s Court on Tuesday for offering bribes to a financial leasing company’s senior executives after she helped the company lease airplanes to China Southern Airlines, the Shenzhen Evening News reported yesterday.

    The defendant He Huiling approached Wang Chong, president of China Development Bank Financial Leasing Co. Ltd., in 2007 saying that she had a good relationship with China Southern Airlines’ leadership, and she could help the company get the aircraft leasing contracts from the airline company.

    In the second half of 2007, He helped Wang’s company win the bid to lease four airplanes to China Southern Airlines. The company signed a cooperation agreement with He and offered her payments equal to 0.5 percent of the four airplanes’ rental prices.

    From late 2007 to 2008, He helped the company lease nine airplanes to China Southern Airlines, and she allegedly received over 52 million yuan (US$7.76 million) from the company. She allegedly paid HK$17.5 million (US$2.26 million) to Wu Rongxiang, the company’s vice president, who introduced her to Wang. Wu allegedly gave HK$5.5 million to Wang and kept the rest of the money, the prosecutor said.

    In 2011, Wu contacted He again after he learned that China Southern Airlines was going to rent a batch of E190 airplanes. By utilizing her personal network in the airline company, He helped Wu’s company lease 20 E190 airplanes to China Southern Airlines, and the company allegedly paid her US$2 million.

    During the court’s hearing, He said it was her company, rather than herself, who offered the bribes. According to He, she hadn’t received as much money from Wang’s company from 2008 to 2011 as the prosecutors said.

    She said she had only received 8 million yuan from Wang’s company. She admitted to giving HK$17.5 million to Wu, but said she didn’t know that Wu had given HK$5.5 million to Wang.

    The hearing continues. (Zhang Yang)