Government and Policy
45 get death, life sentences in Chongqing
By Zhang Jiawei (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2010-04-23 17:07
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A total of 383 people have been convicted of being mafia-style gang members in Chongqing since June 2009, with 254 of them sentenced to more than 5 years in jail and 45 sentenced to death or life in jail, the chinanews.com.cn reported Friday.
Chinanews cited a report by the Higher People's Court of Chongqing Municipality and said 520 criminals were sentenced in the first trial and 219 were sentenced in the second trial between June 2009 and March 31, 2010.
The report said 13 of the 24 mafia-style gangs had their own companies, with five of them having more than three companies and five having assets of more than 100 million yuan ($14.6 million).
According to the report, 54 percent of the gangs had "protective umbrellas," and 24 government employees were sued for protecting gangs.
The report said the inability of societal management to keep up with Chongqing's fast economic development was mainly to blame for the existence of mafia-style gangs.
