China executes deputy mayor for graft ASSOCIATED PRESS
BEIJING, APRIL 23: Chinese authorities executed a deputy mayor on Sunday for massive bribery, the latest official punished in a year-long campaign against rampant corruption. After a case review by China's Supreme Court, Li Chenglong (48) was put to death in the impoverished southern region of Guangxi, where he worked as a deputy mayor of Guigang city, the state-run Xinhua News Agency said. On Thursday, the head of Guangxi's government from 1990-1998, Cheng Kejie, was expelled from the ruling Communist Party ahead of his prosecution for alleged bribery. Cheng, a deputy chairman of China's national legislature, was one of the most senior officials caught in the recently renewed campaign against the graft that is undermining public support for Communist rule. Li was convicted of bribery and having unexplained sources of income, Xinhua said. It said that in exchange for approving promotions, loans, land and construction contracts, Li took Dollars 478,500 worth of bribes in Chinese, Hong Kong and US currencies between 1991 and 1996, when he was Communist Party secretary of Yulin city in Guangxi, Xinhua said. Li also couldn't explain where he got currencies worth more than Dollars 685,000 that were found in his home, along with jewellery, Xinhua said. Copyright © 2000 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.