LIU YUEHONG, a former deputy chief with the city’s firefighting bureau, a subordinate department to the municipal public security bureau, was sentenced to four years and six months in jail for embezzling 228,000 yuan (US$33,043) and HK$210,000 (US$27,077), as well as taking HK$998,000 and 610,000 yuan in bribes.

    Liu was fined 400,000 yuan, according to a recent verdict by Shenzhen Intermediate People’s Court.

    Liu worked her way up in the firefighting bureau in nearly 20 years from a low-ranking employee to the deputy chief position. She became a competent candidate for the bureau head when Xie Zhuohao was transferred to be head of Futian District Public Security Sub-bureau in September 2013.

    Liu was probed in November 2014 when five of her subordinates, including Xie Yongchun, head of the administrative office, an accountant, and Zhu Rongtian, a department director, were investigated for corruption. Xie Zhuohao was also investigated in October 2014, one month before the disciplinary inspection authority took Liu away for investigation.

    According to Xie Yongchun, Liu embezzled the bureau’s funds to purchase red wine and furniture. However, Liu denied the accusation, saying that Xie had withdrawn money for his own expenses from their private coffer under her name.

    Between 2002 and 2014 when Liu was serving as head of the construction approval department, she took bribes totaling 998,000 yuan and HK$610,000 from a dozen companies including firefighting companies, firefighting facility suppliers and property developers.

    On her father’s 80th birthday in 2012, Liu took HK$40,000 from a property developer who hoped Liu could speed up the firefighting department’s approval of his property. Another company offered HK$100,000 in May 2013 as a cash gift for the birth of Liu’s grandson after its project passed the department’s assessment.

    Liu also made profits by introducing firefighting businesses. In 2002, a firefighting company won a project in Luohu. The company gave a 398,000-yuan apartment to Liu for her help. Liu sold the apartment in 2013 for 1.1 million yuan.

    At the first trial at Nanshan People’s Court, Liu was sentenced to five years and six months in prison. Liu appealed the ruling.

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

    On Oct. 29, 2014, Xie Zhuohao, director of Futian District Public Security Subbureau, was investigated for serious disciplinary violations. He served as head of the firefighting bureau for two years from 2011 to 2013.

    The promotion of Xie to head of Futian District Public Security Subbureau in September 2013 left a vacancy for his deputies and triggered a power struggle inside the firefighting bureau, which led to a criminal investigation into the bureau’s 60 staff members.

    Zhu, former department director of the bureau, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for corruption last year.

    Zhu was convicted of taking 580,000 yuan in bribes. Zhu exposed Liu’s corruption, hoping that he could get a lighter sentence. (Han Ximin)