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Oct. 16 (NBD) -- Zhen Caiji, former chairman of state-owned Datang Telecom Group and former vice president of China Telecom Corp, was found having accepted 652,200 yuan (94,359.0 U.S. dollars) worth of bribes, according to a court verdict against Jinma Bole International Consultancy Co (Jinma Bole) that was released in September this year. 

In exchange, he helped the Beijing-based company pocket more than 90 million yuan (13.0 U.S. dollars) of illegal gains.

The bribe giver Ma Bole, chairman of Jinma Bole, was given a three-month jail time and the company was fined 400,000 yuan (57,871.2 U.S. dollars). In addition, all ill-gotten gains of both parties were confiscated. As Ma has lived at home under surveillance for 92 days, he will not serve the 90-day jail time any more.  

Zhen spent most of his lives in the telecom industry and has been long viewed as an influential figure, but his practices seriously violated the rules of the Communist Party of China. 

He was placed under investigation as early as July 2017 and ousted by the Party two months later of the same year for violation of Party rules. The case was later handed over to judiciary department for criminal investigation but no update has been published since then.

The recent verdict disclosed more details on how the case was evolved. 

Back in 2010, knowing Zhen was interested in photography, Ma offered Zhen one Leica S2 camera and 4 lens worth a total of 320,000 yuan (46,297.0 U.S. dollars) in order to win his support for a Datang Telecom construction project while Zhen headed the telecom company. 

With the help of Zhen, Jinma Bole successfully won the bid in 2011, illegally profiting 17 million yuan (2.5 million U.S. dollars) from the project.

In 2012, under the instruction of Zhen, Jinma Bole acquired and then transferred a 20 percent stake in Guyana telecom company CT&T to Datang Telecom for 40 million U.S. dollars. The deal helped Ma gain 11.6 million U.S. dollars but harmed the interests of Zhen's own company.

In order to thank Zhen's help, Ma offered Zhen's mistress 1,000 U.S. dollars in cash and presents worth 46,107 yuan (6,670.7 U.S. dollars) in March 2013.

In 2014, Ma bought Zhen a Leica M typ 240 camera, the world's second full-frame mirrorless camera, and 4 lens worth a total of 280,000 yuan (40,509.8 U.S. dollars) in Paris when they were on a business trip in France.

 

Email: tanyuhan@nbd.com.cn

Editor: Tan Yuhan