At the trial of a former county-level official working for China’s environmental authorities, the defendant broke down crying as he confessed the extent of the crimes he committed in office. The scene was witnessed by other officials who viewed the videotaped court session as part of a case study organized by the municipal procuratorate.
During more than a decade of service, Zhang Ruhua, a former soldier and a Communist Party member of Huai'an County in the eastern Chinese province of Jiangsu, took bribes in exchange for giving away positions at the environmental bureau. Zhang’s actions had facilitated corruption in multiple counties and districts, Chinese media Tencent News claimed in an April 22 report.
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According to Tencent, Zhang accepted any and all bribes. He promoted one of his staff, Hu Aiju, to become director of the municipal solid waste recycling office in Huai'an, after receiving a gift of 50,000 yuan (about $8,000), 2,000 euros, and a gold bar weighing 100 grams. Another subordinate, Liu Haoyue, became director of the environmental assessment office after offering Zhang a 75,000-yuan bribe. Gao Xiang, director of an environmental science institute, received his position for 92,000 yuan.
