Xinhua News Agency, Xi'an, October 4 (reported by Chen Gang) -- Over a period of more than two years, Li Jinjun, the former accountant of the Li Qu Toll Station in Yan'an City, Shaanxi Province, became addicted to online gambling and used various means to embezzle over tens of millions of yuan in vehicle toll fees. Recently, Li Jinjun was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve for committing embezzlement.
The Intermediate People's Court of Yan'an City found that between December 31, 2006, and February 28, 2009, the 29-year-old Li Jinjun, taking advantage of his position as the appointed financial director and accountant of the Li Qu Vehicle Toll Station under the Yan'an Highway Administration Bureau, concealed information, directly withheld funds, and issued fake cash payment slips for tolls on multiple occasions, embezzling a total of over 11.73 million yuan in vehicle toll fees, which he used for overseas (online) gambling. Apart from returning 23,000 yuan of the stolen money, the rest could not be recovered, resulting in an economic loss of over 11.7 million yuan to the state.
The court ruled that as a public official, Li Jinjun took advantage of his position to embezzle and defraud huge sums of public funds for overseas gambling, causing significant economic losses to the state. His actions constituted embezzlement, and due to the particularly serious nature of the case, he deserved severe punishment. Considering that Li Jinjun confessed after committing the crime and showed a good attitude towards admitting guilt, the court decided to impose a lighter punishment according to the law. Consequently, Li Jinjun was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve for embezzlement in the first trial and all his personal property was confiscated.