CHINA-CORRUPTION: SEX SCANDAL IN GUANYUN COUNTY, JIANGSU PROVINCE ATTRACTS NATIONWIDE ATTENTION

According to the New York Times (March 29), a 19-year old girls involvement in a sex scandal involving senior Chinese officials has attracted nationwide notice. The story of Ms. Xu Yan unfolded in Guanyun County, Jiangsu Province, where the average annual income of urban residents last year totalled $4,658, or only about two-thirds of the national average. The major employers include farming and textiles, mainly racy lingerie. Court documents reveal that Xu Yan, started her first affair with a local police officer in 2014. She then carried on relationships with several others including a deputy chief of the Guanyun County police, three chiefs of local police stations, two hospital officials and one elementary school headmaster. At some point, she joined the police force as an auxiliary officer. Xu Yan had received $573,000 from nine men, including eight officials, according to court documents. In December, she was sentenced to 13 years in prison and ordered to pay the money back, plus $869,000 in fines. The story got public notice when a lawyer posted the verdict online and raised questions about it. The document spread with the public asking why she had received a lengthy sentence and the other public officials had got away lightly. Then, some social media users reported that Guanyun County officials had called them and asked them to delete the posts. The local court removed the verdict from a website run by China’s supreme court, saying that since Ms. Xu was appealing, the verdict should not have been uploaded. Unfortunately for the Guanyun County officials, their attempts to hide the verdict drew only more attention. A Xinhua, the official news agency, said “In the face of public skepticism, the local authorities should not resort to deleting posts. A public response is the only correct measure.” A commentary in Banyuetan, an influential magazine that is controlled by Xinhua, observed: “Public opinion is paying attention to this case not only because it’s bizarre, but also because it sheds some light on the capriciousness of power.”







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