On August 13th, Li Zaiyong, a former member of the Guizhou Provincial Political Consultative Conference and former vice chairman, was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve for the crimes of bribery and abuse of power. The amount of bribes involved was approximately 432 million Chinese Yuan.
According to the charges, from 1998 to 2023, Li Zaiyong took advantage of his positions as the Secretary of the Red Flower Gang District Committee in Zunyi City, Guizhou Province, a member of the Standing Committee and Deputy Governor of Qian Dongnan Prefecture, Deputy Secretary of the Tongren Prefecture Committee, and Commissioner of the Administrative Office, Deputy Secretary of the Guiyang Municipal Committee, the Mayor of Guiyang City, Secretary of the Liupanshui Municipal Committee, Standing Committee Secretary General of the Guizhou Provincial Party Committee, Standing Committee Secretary of the Guizhou Provincial Party Committee and Secretary of the Guiyang Municipal Committee, Standing Committee Secretary of the Guizhou Provincial Party Committee, and Deputy Governor of Guizhou Province. He used his authority and power to provide assistance in project contracting, land acquisition, project planning approval, and other matters to certain individuals, illegally accepting a total of over 432 million Chinese Yuan, most of which was not actually obtained.
From 2014 to 2017, during his tenure as Secretary of the Liupanshui Municipal Committee and Director of the Municipal Urban and Rural Planning and Construction Committee, Li Zaiyong forcibly initiated tourism development projects, abusing his power and causing ecological damage, resulting in a loss of over 86.45 million Chinese Yuan.
Li Zaiyong’s actions constituted the crimes of bribery and abuse of power.
On March 27, 2023, Li Zaiyong was suddenly removed from his position. Just five days prior, he had attended a meeting.
At 62 years old, Li Zaiyong served in various positions in Guizhou Province and held high-ranking positions such as Standing Committee Secretary of the Guizhou Provincial Party Committee, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of the Provincial Government, Deputy Governor of Guizhou Province, and Vice Chairman of the Provincial Political Consultative Conference.
Li Zaiyong was the 11th senior official under central authority investigated last year and the first senior official under central authority in Guizhou to be investigated last year.
On November 7, 2023, Li Zaiyong was expelled from the Party and dismissed from public office. He was accused of flagrantly violating regulations by raising funds through reckless debt acquisition, creating significant debt risks, deliberately obstructing inspections, engaging in superstitious activities for an extended period, not truthfully disclosing issues, seeking benefits for others in cadres selection and appointment, accepting gifts and money in violation of regulations, engaging in power and money transactions, intervening unlawfully in judicial and law enforcement activities, facilitating engineering contracts, and project planning approvals for others for personal gain, and illegally accepting huge amounts of money. He abused his power, causing significant losses to public property, national interests, and the people.