On December 19, 2024, former party secretary Wu Wei of Liuzhou, Guangxi, was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve in the first instance for being accused of taking bribes exceeding 186 million RMB. Last month, Wu Wei’s “old partner” Zheng Junkang, former party secretary of Liuzhou, was sentenced to 16 and a half years in prison.
In a public trial on December 19, the Intermediate People’s Court of Beihai City in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region handed down the verdict on the corruption and abuse of power case of Wu Wei, the former party secretary of Liuzhou.
Wu Wei was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve for the bribery charges and all personal property was confiscated. He was also sentenced to six and a half years in prison for abuse of power. The court decided to implement the death penalty with a two-year reprieve and confiscate all personal property.
According to the court, from 2004 to 2023, Wu Wei used his positions as Deputy Secretary of the Heng County Committee, County Governor, Secretary of the County Party Committee, Standing Committee Member and Deputy Mayor of Nanning City, Deputy Secretary, Mayor, and Secretary of the Liuzhou Municipal Committee to provide assistance to relevant entities and individuals in project contracts, among other matters, illegally receiving a total of more than 186 million RMB in money and valuables.
From 2016 to 2021, Wu Wei, in violation of regulations and without State Council approval, required relevant units to construct the Liuzhou Urban Light Rail Transit project through debt financing methods, causing significant losses and adverse effects.
On November 4, the Liuzhou Urban Rail Transit Investment Development Group Co., Ltd. issued a construction notice that attracted attention. The notice stated that the piers and attached facilities on the north side of Guilin-Liuzhou Road would be demolished. Then Liuzhou Secretary Zheng Junkang and Mayor Wu Wei had pushed for the light rail project.
On November 7, Zheng Junkang was sentenced to 16 years and 6 months in prison for bribery and abuse of power.
Public records show that Wu Wei, born in September 1968 in Puning City, Guangdong, has held various positions such as Deputy Director of the Labor Bureau of Nanning City, District Chief of Jiangnan District, County Governor and Party Secretary of Heng County, Deputy Mayor of Nanning, and more.
In 2015, Wu Wei became the Deputy Secretary and Acting Mayor of Liuzhou Municipal Committee; in January 2016, he officially became the Mayor. Until February 2021, Wu Wei succeeded his “old partner” Zheng Junkang as the Secretary of the Liuzhou Municipal Committee, formally becoming the top official in Liuzhou.
On November 16, 2023, Wu Wei was officially announced to be under investigation. Ten days before the investigation, the Ministry of Finance of the CPC reported on 8 typical cases of hidden debt accountability since 2022, mentioning Liuzhou City requesting state-owned enterprises to contribute financially to projects that should be funded from the fiscal budget, leading to new hidden debt issues. Wu Wei was given a disciplinary warning for political affairs.