'Richest judge' ousted from Party and sacked over graft allegations

A Hainan High People's Court vice-president dubbed "the richest judge in China" has been expelled from the Communist Party of China and removed from her post for alleged graft and involvement in her ex-husband's business empire, the Party's provincial political and legal affairs commission said on Saturday.

Zhang Jiahui has been placed under investigation for suspected serious violations of laws and regulations after a joint investigation was launched in May following reports about Zhang and her ex-husband's suspected corruption. Zhang's ex-husband, Liu Yuansheng, has also been under police investigation on suspicion of law violations.

Zhang filed false information to the Party and asked others to collude with her to devise a consistent story, the Hainan Commission for Discipline Inspection of the CPC said on Saturday, adding that she also deliberately planned to hide from the anti-graft agency's investigation.