Country’s biggest corruption case: former mayor sentenced to death, 13,000 kg gold and ₹3,400 crore recovered

Beijing (The Uttam Hindu): China’s tough anti-corruption drive has revealed a case that has shocked not only the country but the world. Zhang Qi, the former mayor of Haikou city, has been sentenced to death after being found guilty in a massive corruption case. The scale of assets recovered during the investigation stunned authorities.

According to a report published by a news website, when investigative agencies raided the former mayor’s apartment, they recovered around 13,500 kilograms of gold and cash worth nearly ₹3,400 crore in Chinese yuan. Finding such a huge quantity of gold and cash at the residence of a government official is considered extremely rare in China’s history. In addition, luxury real estate properties in China and abroad, along with a collection of expensive cars, were also seized.

The investigation revealed that between 2009 and 2019, Zhang Qi misused his official position to accept bribes in an organised manner. He allegedly took illegal payments in return for approving government contracts and land-related deals, and during this period accumulated assets worth hundreds of billions of rupees.

The court found Zhang Qi guilty of embezzlement of public funds, abuse of power and serious corruption. The verdict stated that he betrayed public trust and caused major financial losses to the state. Based on these findings, the court awarded him the death penalty. The case is being described as one of the most controversial and high-profile anti-corruption cases in China’s history.