Chinese official jailed for paying off sex tape blackmailers
Lei Zhengfu attempted to pay £330,000 in hush money to developers who ran a sex-tape extortion scheme
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A Chinese official who gained notoriety when he was caught in a sex tape scandal last year has been sentenced to 13 years in prison for bribery.
Lei Zhengfu, the former party chief of a metropolitan district in south-central China, was convicted of taking more than 3.1m yuan (£330,000) in bribes at a court in Chongqing today.
The case, which comes at a time when China’s new generation of leaders has vowed to crack down on systemic corruption, attracted international attention after footage of the 55-year-old having sex with a 25-year-old prostitute went viral online.
The leak was allegedly part of an elaborate plan to extort money from more than 20 Chinese officials, with women supposedly recruited by property developers to ensnare useful politicians.
The court heard that when blackmailed with the footage, Lei asked another property developer whom he had supported before to pay hush money of 3 million yuan.
Prosecutors also said Lei took two other bribes — one of $10,000 (£6,600) and another of 100,000 yuan (£10,400) — in return for favors granted through his government position.
“The sums involved were massive, and the effects were malign,” said the verdict read out to Mr. Lei, according to China’s state-run news agency. “This should be sternly punished according to the law.”
Beijing Institute of Technology law professor Xu Xin said the punishment, which also includes the confiscation of Lei’s personal assets, was more severe than those in similar corruption cases.
“Maybe because of the case's social impact, the court has chosen to be on the harsh end with its sentence,” he said.
In a separate case, the man convicted of masterminding the property developer’s plan, businessman Xiao Ye, was today sentenced to 10 years in prison. The woman in the sex tape, Zhao Hongxia, was given a suspended two-year sentence.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments