China gov’t official who allegedly kept lurid diary arrested on suspicion of taking bribes

China arrests man who allegedly kept graft diary

BEIJING — A Chinese government official has been arrested on suspicion of taking bribes a month after a series of steamy diary entries he allegedly wrote appeared online describing casual sex, drinking parties and under-the-table payments.

Han Feng, 53, was arrested for allegedly taking 482,000 yuan ($71,000) in bribes between 2002 and 2010 while working for the tobacco bureau in southern Guangxi region, the state-run China Daily newspaper reported Monday. Han, who was arrested Saturday, could face up to 10 years in jail if convicted.

Han’s case, dubbed “Diarygate” by the Chinese media, is part of a continuing battle by the Communist Party against deep-seated corruption.

China’s war on corruption has netted numerous high-profile officials and seen them lambasted in the local press, but the government has dragged its feet when it comes to the sweeping systematic reforms needed to really tackle the problem.

In a draft of the government’s annual work report delivered last week, China’s Premier Wen Jiabao had tough words about outlawing illicit incomes and better regulating “gray” incomes, understood to be any earnings that are not easily taxed, such as meals, gifts or cash bonuses.

However, reference to gray incomes was removed from the final draft report approved by the government on Sunday and state media said it was because lawmakers could not agree on how to define the term.

In the case of the tobacco official, local media reported that the husband of one of the man’s mistresses posted the lurid diary entries online in a bid for revenge.

Earlier this month, the China Daily excerpted an alleged diary entry from December 2007 that read: “Womanizing is on the right track. It’s been a lucky year with women. I need to pay attention to my health with so many sex partners.” The diaries describe affairs with five female colleagues and frequent drunken dinner parties with local government officials, police and directors of tobacco companies.

Though not authenticated, the diaries have captivated Chinese, many of whom are already deeply cynical about the lives of government and Communist Party officials.

State prosecutors announced last week that they investigated 2,670 officials above the county level in 2009 for corruption, including Huang Songyou, a former vice president of the Supreme People’s Court, and seven others holding senior rank.