'Fraudster' blew 11m in Macao: Prosecutors

By Zhang Yan (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-03-04 09:23

The vice-head of a Beijing residents' committee, who allegedly carried out an 11-million-yuan-swindle to finance massive gambling binges in Macao, has been charged with fraud.

Dongcheng Procuratorate said the 42-year-old Beijinger, surnamed Sun, served as vice-head of a committee in the Jiaodaokou area of Dongcheng district.

Zhang Wei, the prosecutor from Dongcheng Procuratorate, told METRO yesterday the charges followed an accusation from a woman, surnamed Zhang, who claimed she had been cheated out of one million yuan.

The prosecutor said the woman told investigators she got to know Sun early in 2009 and Sun told her he had a good personal relationship with the director of Dongcheng Residential Development Center. She said he told her he could help her buy affordable housing at a lower price.

"The average price of commercial housing is 18,000 yuan per square meter and Sun said the economical housing would only cost her 4,500 yuan," said Zhang Wei.

The woman said she paid Sun one million yuan between April and October 2009 but did not get her hands on the property, Zhang said.

He said she reported the incident to Dongcheng police and Sun was arrested by Dongcheng Procuratorate in December 2009.

Police then found a total of 20 people who said they had given money to Sun under similar circumstances. In all, Sun cheated them out of 11 million yuan, Zhang said.

The 20 victims include Zhang and her relatives, Sun's colleagues and property management staff from buildings supervised by his committee, according to Zhang.

The prosecutor said Sun initially said he handed the money on to a friend who was very familiar with the leader of Dongcheng Residential Development Center.

Zhang said investigators subsequently found that Sun had squandered the money in Macao between November and December 2009.

The prosecutor said Sun could face a lengthy prison term and significant fine if convicted.

"If the amount of money involved is over 200 thousand yuan, people will face a sentence of between 10 years and life imprisonment."