Liu Yixia, 37, the wife, was a former teller of the China Scientific and Technological Development Foundation (CSTDF), and her husband, Li Shaoyang, 44, was jobless.

According to court investigations, Liu embezzled a total of 8.74 million yuan as she served teller of the CSTDF from 1996 to 1999. Li helped her wife to cash the checks she stolen from the CSTDF and squandered most of the money, including repayment for his gaming debt.

In February 1999, the couple absconded with part of the embezzled money but was captured by the police in July that year. The police only retrieved a few of the embezzled money and the majority had been devoured by the couple.

(Xinhua 01/10/2001)