Briefly

Ex-official in SOE supervision arrested

China's top procuratorate said that it has approved the arrest of Luo Yulin, a former deputy minister-level official of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council, for suspected bribery. The Supreme People's Procuratorate disclosed the information via its website on Tuesday, adding that the case is being further investigated. Luo, 65, a native of Henan province, was placed under disciplinary and supervisory investigation in May for suspected serious violations of laws and regulations. In November, Luo was expelled from the Communist Party of China.

Beijing cracks down on rising cyber fraud

Beijing prosecutors have solved 8,203 cases related to cyber crimes since 2021, with more involving fraud caused by online investments, the capital's top procuratorate said on Tuesday. As the city has embraced the rapid growth of internet finance in the digital age, a number of fake investments have been emerging, with new types of fraud also increasing, according to the Beijing People's Procuratorate. Data released by the procuratorate on Tuesday showed that since 2021, a total of 11,625 people have been accused of cyber crimes, with major charges including telecom fraud, infringement of personal information and sabotage of computer information systems.

Police bust gang running porn websites

Police in Taiyuan, Shanxi province, have busted a criminal gang responsible for operating a network of pornographic websites, promoting overseas gambling sites, and engaging in telecom fraud. The operation resulted in the taking down of over 50 websites and the arrest of five individuals. The gang, led by a man surnamed Xie, a computer vocational school graduate, began its illegal activities in 2019. Xie initially launched a movie website, but soon transformed it into a platform for obscene videos called"66se", automatically downloading and uploading illicit content. The illegal activities came to light in December 2022 when cybersecurity police in Taiyuan discovered the"66se" website. Following a five-month investigation, authorities identified and apprehended the five gang members on April 6,2023. All 53 pornographic websites were subsequently shut down.

Former Shanghai procurator jailed

Zhang Bencai, former chief procurator of the Shanghai People's Procuratorate, was sentenced to 13 years in prison for bribe-taking, the Xiamen Intermediate People's Court in Fujian province announced on Tuesday. According to the court, from 2005 to 2020, Zhang took advantage of his positions including director of the general office of the Supreme People's Procuratorate, Party secretary and chief procurator of the Shanghai People's Procuratorate, to seek benefits for others in matters such as land development, business operations and work transfers. In return, he accepted illegal gains totaling over 48.3 million yuan ($6.8 million) directly or through other people. The court ordered the confiscation of Zhang's illicit gains and issued a 4 million yuan fine.

4,000-year-old house remains found

Remains of a housing cluster dating back to more than 4,000 ago have been unearthed in North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region. The cluster was discovered at the ancient stone city site of what is today known as Qingshuihe county. These remains feature a house at the center with five rooms in a row, which are believed to have been high-level buildings of the Longshan Culture, a civilization found in the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River between 2,800 BC and 1,800 BC.

China Daily - Xinhua