□ Anti-corruption Record
Motivation for Corruption
Prosecutors handling the case advocate that the evaluation mechanism for village officials should be improved, incorporating integrity evaluations as an important basis for assessing their performance. At the same time, supervision mechanisms for village officials should be expedited and perfected, establishing reporting websites, hotlines, and mailboxes to encourage open channels of communication and jointly reinforce the "firewall" against corruption.
Methods of Corruption
Major corruption often starts from accepting "small money."
In March 2010, Li Chaoguo hinted to a developer that he was planning to buy two houses for his children. In August or September of the same year, Li mentioned the house purchase again and requested that the real estate development company pay for two houses.
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Li Chaoguo has worked in the Wuli Fortress Community Committee of Yinquan Mountain Street since he was transferred from the army in 1984. He rose from an ordinary staff member to become a committee member of the General Branch Party Committee and then the Secretary of the General Branch Party Committee. In the eyes of local villagers, he is upright and diligent, serving as a model for local village officials, and is widely recognized as a "qualified official."
"Village officials," although holding minor positions, wield significant power in areas such as homestead approval, demolition and resettlement, and engineering construction, making them akin to "local emperors" or "general managers" in some places. Li Chaoguo, the Secretary of the General Branch Party Committee of the Wuli Fortress Residents' Committee in Yinquan Mountain Street, Lantian District, Linyi City, Shandong Province, was known locally for his word being as good as gold.
Preventing the Incremental Accumulation of Corruption with Constant Warning Bells
In May 2009, according to local government plans, the cement factory area of the Wuli Fortress community underwent demolition and renovation. To accelerate this process, the Yinquan Mountain Street established a key project command center, setting up a demolition leadership group with Li Chaoguo as its leader.
Li Chaoguo confessed that his descent into crime began with a thought after becoming the Secretary of the General Branch Party Committee: "For over 30 years, I have worked diligently, without complaint, handled affairs cautiously, and treaded carefully, never considering greed for wealth. As retirement approached, I had yet to buy houses for my two children."
Around 2009, when a certain factory in Linyi was developing a project, residents of Wuli Fortress went to the construction site to protest. The developer sought Li Chaoguo's help multiple times to mediate. Around the Mid-Autumn Festival, the developer gave Li Chaoguo 10,000 yuan in cash the day before the festival. Soon after, through Li Chaoguo's efforts, the residents stopped protesting.
Li Chaoguo then asked for a loan of 50,000 yuan due to financial difficulties, claiming it was for an emergency. The developer, eager to gain favor, immediately handed over the prepared 50,000 yuan in cash. Li did not write an IOU.
In March 2010, the project proceeded smoothly according to plan. One day in March, Li Chaoguo visited the company and hinted to the developer about buying two houses for his children. The developer informed Li Chaoguo that he could not buy houses in Wuli Fortress, especially not the ones developed by him, as all residents were watching closely. Disappointed, Li left the company.
After Li Chaoguo was investigated, the Lanshan District Procuratorate organized local village officials for job-related crime warning education and conducted specialized legal education lectures to sound the alarm, urging village officials to establish awareness of clean self-discipline.
In late 2010, Li Chaoguo once again approached the company regarding the purchase of houses, requesting that the company fund the purchase of two houses. The company’s CEO panicked, realizing that despite the smooth progress of the project, Li Chaoguo was still the "local emperor" on the ground. After the residential complex was built, there would still be matters concerning resident relocation, household registration management, family planning management, etc., which all depended on Li Chaoguo's cooperation. To secure his support, the developer agreed to give Li Chaoguo 1 million yuan. On November 9, 2010, the company withdrew 1 million yuan in cash from the bank and handed it directly to Li Chaoguo.
In the second half of 2010, because the construction site had not paid the construction waste clearance fee, Li Chaoguo approached the developer demanding payment. The developer cited financial difficulties and could not pay. Li then exerted pressure from various angles. A few days later, the developer symbolically paid 20,000 yuan. During the Spring Festival of 2011, the developer also gave Li Chaoguo a shopping card worth 2,000 yuan as a token of gratitude.
To ensure the continuous smooth progress of the project, the company's CEO approached Li Chaoguo, entrusting him to "resolve" the issue. Through multiple appearances and mediation efforts by Li Chaoguo, the residents’ protests were eventually quelled. To thank Li Chaoguo for his assistance, the CEO presented him with shopping cards totaling 6,000 yuan during the Spring Festival and Mid-Autumn Festival of 2010 and the Spring Festival of 2011.
However, after months of operation, the demolition work progressed very slowly, which worried the developers. To speed up the old house demolition, in December 2009, the developer repeatedly approached Li Chaoguo asking for his help.
During his six-year tenure, people seeking Li Chaoguo's help were constant, and he exercised the "minor powers" at his disposal freely, accumulating nearly 1.07 million yuan in bribes.
Recently, after investigation and prosecution by the Lantian District People's Procuratorate of Linyi City, the court sentenced Li Chaoguo to eleven and a half years in prison for bribery and non-state employee bribery.
The prosecutor handling the case stated that in all the duty-related crime cases investigated by the Lanshan District Procuratorate, encountering a village cadre like Li Chaoguo who swallowed a bribe of one million yuan in one gulp was unprecedented.
"Thirty years ago, I worked hard, tirelessly, handled affairs cautiously, and treaded carefully, never thinking about greed for wealth. Now nearing retirement, I have yet to buy houses for my two children."
According to Li Chaoguo's confession, starting from 2008, a certain real estate company in Linyi developed a residential area within the jurisdiction of Wuli Fortress. Due to the noise from night construction disturbing the normal rest of local residents, many nearby residents repeatedly protested at the construction site. However, the residents' protests did not stop the night construction, ultimately leading to unrest at the construction site and the halt of the project.
Recently, the Lantian District People's Court of Linyi City sentenced Li Chaoguo to eleven and a half years in prison for bribery and non-state employee bribery after investigation and prosecution by the procuratorate.
A village official, wielding "minor but effective" power, openly demanded a bribe of one million yuan, shocking everyone. More thought-provoking is that this "village official" had been qualified for nearly 30 years, only to fall into trouble just before retirement due to a momentary lapse in judgment. In recent years, cases involving "minor" officials with "trivial" power turning into "major pests" have occurred frequently, each case clearly indicating that in the anti-corruption process, besides focusing on high-level corruption, vigilance against "minor" powers cannot be relaxed.
In recent years, with the acceleration of urbanization, the pace of old city renovations and urban village transformations in the urban areas of Linyi City has quickened, resulting in numerous village officials falling victim to corruption related to demolition and construction projects. According to statistics, in 2011 alone, seven village officials in Lanshan District fell due to corruption in the demolition and construction project sector.
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Swallowing a Bribe of One Million Yuan in One Gulp
This kind of evil thought caused Li Chaoguo to "fall." From then on, he gradually descended into the abyss of crime.
In recent years, with the acceleration of urbanization construction, the pace of old city renovation and urban village transformation in the urban areas of Linyi City has accelerated, and many village cadres have fallen victim to corruption in the field of demolition and construction projects. According to statistics, in 2011 alone, seven village cadres in Lanshan District fell due to corruption in the demolition and construction project sector.
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