Former government official arrested as corruption crackdown expands southern China

Gang members arrested in China corruption case

BEIJING — A sprawling crackdown on gangland corruption in one of China’s biggest cities intensified with the arrest of a former deputy of Chongqing’s legislative body.

Wang Neng, 48, a former deputy to the Chongqing Municipal People’s Congress, was arrested for organizing a gang, assault, possession of guns and extortion, the official Xinhua News Agency reported Thursday. He allegedly used violence and his position of power to blackmail and profit from local businesses, Xinhua said.

More than 20 other members of his gang also were arrested or detained.

Wang’s arrest is the latest of many gang-related cases in Chongqing, where more than 3,000 people, including 14 high-ranking government and police officials, have been arrested since last year. Many of the trials have featured lurid testimony about sex, corruption and the city’s violent underworld.

Earlier this month, China executed Wen Qiang, 55, former director of the Chongqing Municipal Judicial Bureau for corruption charges involving bribery, rape, extortion and gang-related activities. He was the highest ranking person caught in the massive crackdown.