Telling bribes from gifts

The trial last week of Wen Qiang, allegedly one of the key figures in the biggest crackdowns on gang crimes in the country, does not just serve as a warning to government officials against the abuse of power but also shows how complicated the fight against corruption can be.

Rome was not built in a day. Evidence has shown that Wen, as former director of the Chongqing municipal bureau of justice, did not collect his huge fortune illegally in a matter of days.

The long list of the money he has taken on different occasions and in different quantities during the years when he was in power unveils what a person he is and how unscrupulous he has been in accepting money and properties his subordinates have given him.