Businesswoman admits bribe charges
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E-mail Xinhua, September 25, 2013
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Ding Yuxin, once called Ding Shumiao, a bussinesswoman who was involved in the corruption case of former railway minister Liu Zhijun, is on trial at the No. 2 Beijing Municipal Intermediate People's Court in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 24, 2013.[Xinhua] |
A businesswoman involved in former railways minister Liu Zhijun's corruption case pled guilty to bribery charges when she appeared at a Beijing court yesterday.
Ding Yuxin, better known as Ding Shumiao, 58, was seen to stumble as she entered the courtroom around 10am, the Beijing Evening News reported.
She appeared nervous and two doctors were in attendance, the newspaper said. Twice she complained of a headache and was given medicine to take.
While prosecutors were reading the indictment, she was shivering and almost in a state of collapse, the Xinhua news agency reported.
Ding, former legal representative of the Beijing Broad Union Investment Management Company, told the court: "I met Liu for 10 years. Liu had helped me to earn a big fortune. I took every effort to accomplish tasks that he told me to do. I didn't care how much I spent on him."
Prosecutors accused Ding and her relatives of reaping huge profits from a number of projects and cargo transport contracts as well as the acquisition of shares and enterprise financing with the help of Liu between 2004 and 2011.
Ding was accused of giving Liu a total of 49 million yuan (US$8 million) in return for his help.
In a strong northern Shanxi Province accent, she told the court she accepted the charges, the newspaper said.
Prosecutors also claimed that she had conspired with Fan Zengyu, former official with the poverty-relief office under the State Council, in a bid to enhance her reputation. They said Ding made donations and paid bribes totalling almost 40 million yuan and in return Fan praised her charity work at meetings and in reports.
Ding told the court it was Fan who always asked for money from her. Her aim was just to engage in charity and not gain in popularity, she said.
Besides the bribery charges, prosecutors said she had been engaged in illegal business operations. She and several others had intervened in bidding for railway projects through staff at the ministry and had helped 23 companies win contracts valued at 185.8 billion yuan. She got 2 billion yuan as kickbacks, prosecutors said.
The court didn't issue a verdict yesterday.
A rural woman, Ding worked hard to build up her business empire, the Legal Evening News reported.
Broad Union staff said she was semi-literate, having quit school while in grade three.
But she was a hard worker, selling eggs, opening a restaurant and even transporting coal as she built her fortune.
Ding was said to be able to recognize and read fewer than 100 words, the newspaper said, citing ex-broad Union employee Jiang Tao. Once, a subordinate wrote a three-page article for her to read at a meeting attended by government officials, Jiang said. But she gave up after just one page because there were too many words she did not know.
The newspaper said Ding didn't care about losing face in her pursuit of railway contracts, even offering to do housekeeping for railway officials. She also tried to establish relationships with their nannies, drivers and secretaries to gain access.
That was how she got to know Liu, the newspaper reported.
Liu was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve in July after he was convicted of taking bribes and abusing his power.
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