THE boss of an education institution in Shenzhen was sentenced to two years in jail with a three-year reprieve for offering bribes totaling more than 20 million yuan (US$2.9 million) to Jiang Zunyu, a disgraced former Shenzhen Party official.

    To gain opportunities to jointly establish schools and get elected to Longgang’s legislature, Yao, boss of Futian Boya Education Institution, offered bribes to Jiang, according to a recent verdict by a Guangzhou court.

    Yao got to know Jiang and Jiang’s close friend, surnamed Li, in 2009 in Jiangsu Province at the funeral of Jiang’s father.

    With the help of Jiang, then Party chief of Longgang, Yao was elected as a lawmaker in Longgang.

    In 2011, Jiang helped Yao set up a school in Longgang District by calling on related departments and entertaining related officials at banquets. Longgang District signed a framework cooperation agreement with Boya in 2013. The district offered a parcel of land at the intersection of Banxuegang Boulevard and Yongxiang Street, bordering Huawei Technologies. Boya invested in the school project, but the land has been left idle due to land requisition disputes.

    Between December 2013 and January 2014, Yao offered 20 million yuan at the request of Jiang and his close friend Li while they were working on an urban renovation project in Bantian, Longgang District.

    During the holidays, Yao also offered Jiang HK$600,000 (US$87,300).

    The Guangzhou court handed down a suspended sentence to Yao as he has long been involved in private education, has a low level of harm on society and a low level of personal danger.

    (Han Ximin)