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Written by: Tao Jiaxin
2019-12-18 07:00
Last updated: 2019-12-18 07:00Former Chief Secretary for Administration Xu Shiren was sentenced to 7 and a half years in the Xindi case, and today (18th) became the last person in the case to recover.
The century-old corruption case interweaved by the core of the political and business circles was kicked off by an anonymous confidential letter sent to the ICAC. The case was opened for trial in the High Court in 2014, referring to Xu Shiren's appointment and resignation of the Chief Secretary for Administration from the former joint chairman of SHKP Guo Bingjiang and Guo Binglian, the former executive director of SHKP Chen Juyuan and the former senior vice president of HKEx Guan Xiongsheng, receiving 850 Ten thousand yuan and 11.18 million yuan.
Xu Shiren was officially regarded as the "Bridge King" in his official life. The official worshipped the government as the second-highest chair. Even the judge in charge of the case described him as "respected" as he should stay in history, but he was blinded by desire and ended in tragedy. The ultimate appeal failed in 2017, and the Court of Final Appeal judged that he was caught in a "golden shackle"; his Grand Bauhinia medal was also snatched by the government by gazette.
Assistant Commissioner of the ICAC in the 1970s to promote anti-corruption
After graduating from the University of Hong Kong in 1970, Xu Shiren joined the Government as the Chief Administrative Officer (AO), and she was seconded to the establishment of the Independent Commission Against Corruption in 1977. She served as the Assistant Director of the Community Relations Office and was responsible for anti-corruption propaganda. Xu Shiren was praised by officials in the government for being resourceful and advising the government on many difficult issues, including serving as deputy economic secretary when he went to Beijing to negotiate civil aviation rights in 1986. His superb communication skills won praise from mainland officials.
The 1998 "Iron Triangle" entered the market and repelled the "predator" into a classic
Known as the "Bridge King", he became the Financial Affairs Department in 1995 and was the first director of the Financial Services Bureau after the reunification. The most brilliant battle was during the Asian financial turmoil in 1998. He and the then Financial Secretary Zeng Yinquan served as the HKMA in a timely manner. President Ren Zhigang formed the "Iron Triangle", and used more than 100 billion yuan of public funds to enter the market to compete with speculators, successfully repelled the "predator" and resolved the financial crisis in Hong Kong.
In 2000, he left the government to serve as the chief executive officer of the MPFA and implemented an MPF scheme, known as the "Father of MPF". Three years later, he turned to the business sector, and has served as a director of KMB and a consultant to SHKP. Until 2005, he had retired and was invited by the new Chief Executive Tsang Yam-kuen to return to the official post as Chief Secretary for Administration. After the two-year term expired, he still joined Tsang Yam-kuen in the Executive Council. After Tsang Yam-kuen was convicted, Tsang Yam-kuen made no secret of treating him as a lifelong friend.
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A secret letter touched ICAC to bite for four years
After Xu Shiren faded out of politics, he was arrested by the ICAC in March 2012, shocking Hong Kong. It turned out that he had been an ICAC investigator for four years. In 2008, an anonymous letter was sent to the ICAC, stating that when Xu Shiren was the administrative director of the MPFA, he was given a high-rise lease from SHKP to the Leighton Hill mansion. At the end of 2009, Xu Shiren was invited by the ICAC to "drink coffee" as a witness, revealing that the annual consultant fee of 15 million yuan in Singapore Land was turned into a turning point. The ICAC focused on checking his tax documents, and dispatched the ICAC's forensic accountants to check 230 accounts and thousands of remittance records.
The case was opened for trial in the High Court in 2014, referring to Xu Shi's appointment and removal as the Chief Secretary for Administration, from the former co-chairmen of SHKP Guo Bingjiang and Guo Binglian, through the former executive director of SHKP Chen Juyuan and the former senior vice president of Hong Kong Stock Exchange, Guan Xiongsheng. The benefits of RMB 8.5 million and RMB 11.18 million made Xu Shiren a heads-eye viewer and benefited SHKP in the West Kowloon Cultural District and Mawan projects. The hearing lasted for 7 months, and the jury finally convicted Xu Shiren, Guo Bingjiang, Chen Juyuan and Guan Xiongsheng of conspiring to misconduct public officials and conspiring to provide benefits to public officials. 7 and a half years. The four appeals were rejected by the High Court, and the appeals to the Court of Final Appeal were unsuccessful.
[Xu Shiren's release from prison] The fat corruption in the corruption case has become thinner, ranging from 210,000 meals to more than half a billion debts due to bankruptcy
[Guo Bingjiang released from prison] ICAC traces six years of uncovering 20 million bribes to Xu Shiren for an anonymous letter
[Xu Shiren case] The first crime of conspiracy to commit misconduct in the public office is expected to be amended to extend the power of investigation
Judge: if not for corruption
The judge of the High Court, Mak Chi-chi, when he read the sentence, allowed Shiren to be “respected” and “outstanding in intelligence” and contributed a lot to Hong Kong. He should have kept his name in history. If it were not for this case, he would be one of the most outstanding Chief Secretary for Administration in recent years. But because of greed, blinded by desire, and violating his duties, he ended in a tragedy. The judgment of the Court of Final Appeal states that the so-called damage to the public is that the public officials are trapped in a "golden shackle", so that the public officials cannot provide sincere service with no fear. After the dust of the conviction was settled, Xu Shiren's Grand Bauhinia Medal was seized by the government.
Xu Shiren Corruption Case