On Friday (19th), the first trial of the bribery case involving Li Dong, former deputy general manager of the State Energy Investment Group Limited, was held, with the prosecution alleging that he received over 108 million yuan in bribes.
On April 19, the Intermediate People’s Court of Yichun City, Jiangxi Province, publicly held a trial for the bribery case of Li Dong, former deputy general manager of the State Energy Investment Group.
The Yichun City Procuratorate in Jiangxi Province accused Li Dong of using his positions as deputy secretary and manager of the Party Committee of Shenhua Zhungeer Coal Company, deputy secretary and chairman of the Party Committee of Shenhua Group Zhungeer Energy Co., deputy chief engineer and member of the Party Committee, deputy general manager of Shenhua Group Co., Ltd., and deputy general manager of the State Energy Investment Group Co., Ltd., to provide assistance to relevant units and individuals in matters such as product sales, coal procurement, enterprise operation, and job adjustments. He illegally accepted money amounting to over 108 million yuan directly or through others. The procuratorate recommended prosecuting Li Dong for accepting bribes.
Li Dong pleaded guilty in court, and the verdict will be announced at a later date.
Li Dong was born in 1960 and worked in the coal industry for over thirty years. He retired in 2020. In February 2023, the Chinese authorities announced that he was under investigation, and in August of the same year, it was reported that he was expelled from the Party.
Earlier this year, a television documentary broadcast by Chinese state media revealed that Li Dong was deeply involved in the coal industry. Even when he was detained and authorities conducted a search at his residence in line with procedures by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Supervisory Commission, there were still people showing up to “give gifts”.
The State Energy Investment Group is one of the five major power generation groups in China, with eight business sectors including coal, thermal power, new energy, hydropower, transportation, chemicals, technology, environmental protection, and finance. In 2022, they ranked 85th in the Fortune Global 500 list.
The State Energy Administration of China has long been controlled by the Jiang faction of the Chinese Communist Party, and corruption cases in the energy system have been frequent in recent years. Former energy administration director Liu Tienan and Nuer Baikeli, both sentenced to life imprisonment, have been identified as members of the Jiang faction.
Li Bao-hua, former deputy director of the State Energy Administration and superior of Li Dong, has been arrested and sentenced to 13 years in prison for bribery on March 16, 2022. When Li Dong worked at the State Energy Investment Group, Liu Baohua was already the deputy director of the State Energy Administration.