Society

Official 'used public land to build mansion'

By Shang Ban (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-03-25 07:49

SHANGHAI - Local discipline authorities in East China's Jiangxi province are reportedly investigating an official who allegedly built a luxury residence on public land and threatened to "bury alive" a reporter who tried to expose the story.

It is alleged Deng Guoping, Party secretary of Nandeng village, Nanchang county, Jiangxi, illegally filled in the only pond in the village to build a mansion for his family on the land.

He also sold public land to fund the cost of decorating the mansion, a villager named Deng Jianping told China Daily on Wednesday.

He said water in the pond was used for laundry, plants and to fight fires. In its place there is now a six-story mansion, with a backyard as large as several basketball courts.

Deng Jianping said that Deng Guoping assaulted him on Jan 7, 2009. "During a minor quarrel, he threw a chair at my head and waist, breaking one of my ribs," he said. "He has been a dictator since he became our secretary 10 years ago."

After that, Deng Jianping began reporting the alleged illegal practices of Deng Guoping to various media organizations, but failed to receive any attention.

However last week, his petition letter reached the local newspaper Jiangnan Metropolis Daily, which sent a reporter to look into the issue.

The reporter, Dai Weiya, told China Daily that he was threatened when he called Deng Guoping last Thursday.

"He said he would bury me alive if I dared to go to the county's discipline authorities to ask about his case. He kept calling me until I dialed the police hotline 110," Dai said.

According to Dai, Deng Guoping denied he sold village land for money to build and decorate the house, and that he earned the money by contracting construction projects.

A senior official surnamed Tu from Nanchang county's discipline authorities on Friday promised an investigation would be launched into the allegations, Dai said.

When China Daily called the county's discipline authorities to confirm that an investigation was under way, the telephone was hung up after the reporter made it clear what the call was about.

An official surnamed Wan from the count's planning and construction office said that Deng Guoping's residence "did not get any approval from the office and should be removed".

Deng Jianping said two nephews of Deng Guoping have followed him since Dai's newspaper report on the allegations was published on Tuesday.

"They're around my house. They also enclosed my farmland with a high wall, which is the major source of income for my family," he said.

"I dare not go out now. Once he (Deng Guoping) even threatened that squashing me was as easy as squashing an ant."