20 sentenced to jail in China's state TV station fire case
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Twenty people involved in last year's deadly Spring Festival fire at the China Central Television (CCTV) headquarters have received jail terms ranging from three to seven years.
A statement released Monday by the Beijing No. 2 Intermediate People's Court, said Xu Wei, former head of construction office of the broadcaster's new headquarters, was sentenced to seven years, with the other 19 involved receiving three years to six and a half years.
A total of 21 people were convicted Monday, but one, Chen Zijun, was exempted from criminal punishment due to his minor role is the blaze, said the statement.
The 21 convicted included five CCTV staff: Xu Wei, Deng Jionghui, Hu Debin, Gao Hong and Wang Shirong.
Xu Wei was found to have made the decision alone to stage the fireworks show and arranged others to organize the event from December 2008 until February last year, said the statement.
Gao Hong, head of the safety production supervision department under the CCTV new headquarters office, was jailed for four and a half years for failing to halt the fireworks show after being informed of the plan.
Three staff from the China State Construction Engineering Corporation and three from the Beijing Urban Construction Group, who were all involved in the construction, were also among those convicted, said the statement.
In addition, a warehouse principal named Liu Guilan, in north China's Hebei Province, received a three-year jail term suspended for three years for storing the fireworks and ignition devices for the display in an unqualified storehouse.
The statement gave no titles for the other nine convicted, including Liu Faguo, who got six and a half years for choosing the site for the display and arranging the purchase and transportation of the fireworks.
The statement did not give details of the charges against the remaining defendants.
The trial opened in late March.
According to the Criminal Law, a person who causes a serious incident while violating the provisions of the control of explosive or inflammable materials can be jailed for up to three years. In especially serious cases, the sentence can range from three to seven years.
The illegal fireworks display started the fire that gutted the 30-story building in Beijing's Central Business District on Feb. 9, 2009. One fireman died and six firemen and two construction workers were injured.
The cost of the fire was estimated at more than 160 million yuan (23.44 million U.S. dollars).
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