China executes justice official caught in massive mob corruption crackdown in Chongqing

China executes Chongqing justice official

BEIING — China executed the former top justice official in the southwestern city of Chongqing on Wednesday — the highest ranking person caught in a massive crackdown on violent gangs and corrupt officials who protect them.

Wen Qiang, 55, former director of the Chongqing Municipal Judicial Bureau, was convicted in April of corruption charges involving organized crime, according to the Chongqing court website.

Wen took bribes, shielded criminal gangs, hid his financial assets and raped a university student, the official Xinhua News Agency cited court documents as saying.

The Supreme People’s Court, which reviews all death penalty cases, rejected Wen’s appeal and upheld the sentence in May, the announcement said.

“The facts are quite clear, the evidence is concrete and abundant, the conviction is accurate and the punishment is proper,” it said.

Wen served as deputy police chief of Chongqing from 1992-2008 and then as director of the justice bureau until his arrest in September 2009, Xinhua said.

He was also the brother-in-law of the so-called “godmother” of Chongqing’s criminal underworld: Xie Caiping, 46, who was given 18 years in prison for running illegal casinos and bribing government officials.

The high-profile crackdown on organized crime was set in motion by Chongqing’s Communist Party boss, Bo Xilai, who gained a national following and stature with his campaign.

Nearly 100 local officials and police were prosecuted, with 42 found guilty of sheltering criminal gangs, said Xinhua. Hundreds of gang members were also arrested and tried.