On June 5th, a group of lawyers exposed that personnel from the disciplinary committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in Guilin attempted to sexually assault the family member of a person involved in the case, the wife of Zeng Yiqing, a co-defendant in the case of former chairman of the Guilin Transportation Investment Group, Zhao Jihong. The personnel in question also threatened the woman not to “speak out of turn,” or it would not be favorable for Zeng Yiqing.
Historical blogger and prominent Weibo user, “Anyuan Ding,” posted relevant screenshots on the social media platform Weibo on June 5th, explaining, “According to several lawyers, personnel from a certain local disciplinary committee are suspected of sexually assaulting the female family members of the individuals under investigation, and later making threatening phone calls.”
The screenshots revealed that in a chat group, Beijing lawyer Zhang Qingfang stated that personnel from the disciplinary committee in Guilin attempted to sexually assault the family members of those involved in the case. On that same day (June 5th), during the second trial of the corruption case involving Zhao Jihong at the Guilin Intermediate People’s Court, co-defendant Zeng Yiqing reported that a supervisor named Tang from the special task force had attempted to sexually assault his wife during the investigation. The presiding judge announced an adjournment of the trial.
Zhang Qingfang disclosed that the personnel in question had been transferred from the disciplinary committee in Guanyang County to the disciplinary committee in Guilin. He booked a room at a hotel in the town where the investigation was taking place and, citing the case, asked Zeng Yiqing’s wife to meet him. Without saying much, he tried to embrace Mrs. Zeng. After she pushed him away and left, she quickly received a call from Supervisor Tang, warning her not to “speak out of turn,” or it would be unfavorable for Zeng Yiqing.
Zhang Qingfang claimed to be the leader of the “Tomb Digging Sect.” This term refers to lawyers exposing the misconduct of judges or court leaders during cases, leading to judges and prosecutors recusing themselves, and even turning themselves in, in order to protect the rights of the parties involved.
Zhou Ze, the director of the Beijing Zebo Law Firm, commented, “As the defense attorney for the appellant in the same case, I contacted the family member who was threatened not to speak out of turn to understand the situation. I was informed that the investigator named Tang had repeatedly used the guise of an investigation to summon the family member, always demanding to talk in the car and making advances towards them. He even booked a hotel room to have a discussion with the family member, with malicious intent. During the call arranged by the disciplinary committee personnel between the person under investigation and the family member, the family member vented their frustrations to the person under investigation about the pressure and distress they were experiencing.”
That evening, Beijing Zebo Law Firm lawyer Li Xianfeng, who was present at the trial, revealed, “On June 5th at the Guilin Intermediate People’s Court, during the first day of the trial, Zhao Jihong accused the disciplinary committee personnel of forcing him to make false statements by threatening his family’s safety, causing him physical discomfort during his detention.
“The co-defendant Zeng Yiqing, during the trial, reported that the investigator named Tang, transferred from the disciplinary committee in Guanyun County to the disciplinary committee in Guilin, had taken the opportunity of the investigation to book a hotel room, meet with his wife, and attempted to rape her.”
Li Xianfeng remarked, “In the dull afternoon, in the quiet courtroom, if there was silence, it was like the thunder that shook everyone, feeling disgusted by the despicable behavior of these individuals.”
According to Baidu Baike, the Guilin Transportation Investment Holding Group Co., Ltd. was established in February 2002, and is an important state-owned capital investment entity in Guilin, with a registered capital of 2.3 billion RMB, wholly owned by Guilin Investment Holding Group Co., Ltd.
In January 2023, Zhao Jihong of the Guilin Transportation Investment Group was expelled from the Party and government, and was transferred to the judicial authorities.
Currently, it is difficult to obtain more information about the case of Zhao Jihong for Epoch Times reporters.