On December 20th, 2024, the details of the downfall of Zhong Li, former Party Secretary and Director of the Audit Bureau of Guanghan City, Deyang, Sichuan Province, were exposed.
In April 2023, Zhong Li came under investigation.
In September 2023, Zhong Li was expelled from the Communist Party.
In May 2024, Zhong Li was sentenced to ten years and six months in prison for bribery.
Zhong Li, born in December 1980 in Guanghan, Sichuan, started working in December 2000 and joined the Communist Party in June 2002. He has held various positions including Director of Law and Supervision Office of Guanghan City Discipline Inspection Commission, Deputy Secretary and Secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission of Beiwa Township Party Committee in Guanghan City, Deputy Secretary and Secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission of Xiaohan Town Party Committee, Secretary of Xigao Town Party Committee, Secretary of Jinyan Street Party Working Committee, and Party Secretary and Director of the Audit Bureau of Guanghan City.
During his time as Deputy Secretary of Beiwa Township Party Committee in Guanghan City, Zhong Li invested 1.2 million yuan in a sand and gravel business through a nominee arrangement, generating a profit of 4.6 million yuan in 5 years, with a profit margin of nearly 400%. He then expanded his business ventures into sand and building materials, catering, education and training sectors using methods such as using the names of relatives and friends, earning him the title of a “business tycoon” in official circles.
Born into a well-off family in Beiwa Township, Guanghan City, Zhong Li entered the civil service in 2000. In 2013, Zhong Li was promoted to Deputy Secretary and Mayor of Beiwa Township in Guanghan City, becoming one of the earliest post-80s officials at the department level in Guanghan City at that time.
With his career advancement, Zhong Li quickly became involved in both official and business circles. After his appointment in Beiwa Township in 2013, Zhong Li established close relationships with businessmen and entrepreneurs, paving the way for a mutually beneficial relationship between politics and business.
In 2014, a businessman proposed to Zhong Li, “Since your family has money, and I have a project, let’s collaborate – I provide the technology, and you provide the connections.”
Enticed by the opportunity to make money, Zhong Li borrowed 1.2 million yuan from his father and invested in the sand and gravel business through a nominee arrangement. Leveraging his authority, Zhong Li removed obstacles for the project’s construction, and after its completion, he used his position as the village mayor to promote its operation. Over 5 years, Zhong Li made a net profit of 4.6 million yuan from his investment in the sand and gravel business.
The success only fueled Zhong Li’s desire for more wealth. Between 2014 and 2023, Zhong Li invested millions of yuan multiple times, spanning various sectors such as building materials factories, hot pot restaurants, and training institutions, by using the names of acquaintances and nominees.
In 2016, after being transferred to work as the Party Secretary of Xigao Town, Zhong Li received over 1.7 million yuan in sponsorship from a businessman, which he used to establish a “petty cash fund,” distributing part of the funds as “hardship allowances” to town officials.
In 2019, as Guanghan City underwent administrative changes, Zhong Li was reassigned to Jinyan Street, an area with more enterprises under its jurisdiction, as the Party Working Committee Secretary. He collected over 2.7 million yuan in “sponsorship fees” from several business owners. This time, Zhong Li used nearly all the funds from the “petty cash fund” to illegally distribute performance bonuses to team members and some officials, as well as organize trips and dinners.
The increasing amount of “bonuses” made some street officials who benefited from Zhong Li’s schemes blindly follow his orders. Zhong Li busied himself with leisure activities, sleeping in the morning, working out in the afternoon, and taking a hands-off approach to management, controlling operations from a distance.
Zhong Li turned Jinyan Street into his “private domain,” providing assistance to others in dispute resolution, business operations, land acquisition, and resettlement within the area in exchange for generous cash payments.
From 2014 to 2022, Zhong Li exploited his position for personal gain, illegally receiving a total of 5.2 million yuan in cash bribes.