Life> Kaleidoscope

Newspaper boss jailed for million-yuan con

(China Daily)
Updated: 2010-01-27 10:49

A senior manager of Beijing's only free subway newspaper was sentenced for embezzlement on Monday in one of the largest corruption scandals in Beijing's newspaper market.

Zhao Wenyan, 46, the former deputy general manager of the State-controlled Beijing All Media and Culture Group and the executive vice-president of the Beijing Daily Messenger, was convicted of embezzling almost 1.44 million yuan by using exaggerated invoices. She was sentenced to 12 years in jail at the Beijing No 2 Intermediate Court, the Beijing Times reported.

Zhao's family gave 1.25 million yuan to the court to cover most of the embezzlement, and 300,000 yuan was seized from her bank accounts. The return of the money was believed to account for the court's lenient sentence.

However, Zhao said in court she would appeal.

Prosecutors said Zhao was given an additional role as the executive vice-president of Beijing News Messenger. She should not have received any extra salary for this responsibility.

However, from January 2002 to September 2004, Zhao instructed her staff to pay 1.08 million yuan to herself, the president and other senior managers.

Zhao was also convicted of collecting 130,000 yuan from the newspaper for "office decoration" in July and August 2004.

She then embezzled 210,000 yuan in 2004 and 2006 for "marketing expenses and stationery costs". She was also convicted of purchasing two shelves for her home by using newspaper money, valued at 10,500 yuan. Zhao told the court she received the salary as a subsidy for her newspaper job, and that the "marketing expenses" were paid to another company. The court rejected her excuses.

METRO