Court president finds himself under suspicion

Zhejiang High People's Court began investigating a report of malfeasance and perverting the course of justice against its president on Wednesday.

Songcheng Group, a cultural tourism group in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, said a day earlier that it had issued a claim against Qi Qi, president of the Zhejiang court to the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection.

The company statement said Qi violated judicial justice and the company has already reported him under the name of its CEO Huang Hongming.

An anonymous official said that the court had seen the report and was looking into it.

"Songcheng Group has not provided any details so far, so we are not clear about what happened right now," he said. "We are verifying the issue now."

"The news was announced suddenly, and we have no clue yet. All information will be released after we have verified the report," he said.

As a company focusing on the entertainment industry, Songcheng Group put on a show outside its Hangzhou headquarters on Tuesday to support its report.

The show featured about 100 actresses dressed as Dou'E, a female character in Chinese fiction who suffered false charges. They knelt down and cried that they were framed, while a fictional animal, regarded as a symbol of justice, was killed.

Yu Jun, a professor with Guanghua Law School of Zhejiang University, said that as long as the company has solid evidence to support its claim and follows procedures, the high-profile announcement was acceptable.

"Using media and public supervision is a good choice. I hope the action is for justice, not only for attracting publicity," he said.

The company said it was not the right time to reveal further details.

"We have been informed that the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection has received the report and will deal with it. We will release details to the public when necessary," said the company.

Qi, 63, has been in his current position for seven years. He is also a representative of the National People's Congress. He has been calling for more transparency in judiciary for years.

"Transparency is the best way to fight corruption," he has said in previous interviews.

yanyiqi@chinadaily.com.cn