Guangdong court rejects gang leader's appeal

Guangdong High People's Court upheld a ruling by a lower court that sentenced Liang Jianguang to death with a two-year reprieve in Guangzhou, the Guangdong provincial capital on Thursday.

Meanwhile Liang, head of a local criminal gang, was deprived of political rights for life and confiscated of his illegal gains valued at more than one million yuan ($142,857), said a verdict passed by the court in the second trial on Thursday morning.

And other five of Liang's gang member defendants were also sentenced from three years to life in jail.

Some defendants appealed after the verdict was passed.

Previously Shenzhen Intermediate People's Court had passed the verdict during the initial trial.

Liang was investigated and found to have set up and lead a mafia-style gang, committing crimes including intentional injury, kidnapping, robbery, extortion, affray and collecting protective fees from local economic entities in Shenzhen's Bao'an district during the 1990s.

In addition to running secret casinos, Liang's gang was investigated to seize huge illegal economic benefits by monopolizing the local recycling material collection market, bus route operations and trading bottled water, said the verdict.

The gang was found to successively conduct a series of illegal and criminal acts, including intentional injuries, forced trading and robbery, resulting in one death and multiple injuries, seriously disrupting the local economic and social order and causing great social harm, the verdict said.

Guangdong High People's Court ruled to dismiss Liang's appeal and upheld the original judgment as the facts were clearly determined during the initial trial, the evidence was accurate and sufficient and the law and conviction were accurate. And therefore the sentencing was appropriate and the trial procedure was legal, it said.