Former TV producer Zhao An sentenced to 10 years in prison

Home>>China

Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, December 12, 2003

Former TV producer Zhao An sentenced to 10 years in prison

Zhao An, a former entertainment program producer with China Central Television, was sentenced Friday to 10 years in jail for taking bribes.

DISCUSSION

CHINESE

SEND TO FRIEND

Zhao An, a former entertainment program producer with China Central Television, was sentenced Friday to 10 years in jail for taking bribes.

Court investigations show that Zhao, a former director of CCTV's cultural and entertainment programs, accepted 110,000 yuan (13,000 US dollars) in cash and 500,000 yuan (60,000 US dollars) worth of audio and video equipment from Zhang Junyi, a private business owner and songwriter whose works were repeatedly staged on spring festival evening parties and other entertainment programs Zhao directed or was in charge between 1994 and 2000.

With bribes, Zhang even talked Zhao into airing on CCTV an autobiographical documentary on the songwriter.

The Beijing No. 1 Intermediate People's Court ruled on Friday that Zhao's 200,000 yuan (24,000 US dollars) of personal property should be confiscated.

Zhao, 44 and a native of the eastern province of Zhejiang, has confessed to the court some of his illegal transactions with ZhangJunyi, and all his bribes have been retrieved, according to court sources.

Zhang, 33, formerly president of Beijing Star of Life Advertising Co., was sentenced to six years in jail for bribing Zhao and defaming Chinese officials -- including the top management of CCTV -- in anonymous letters in 2001 and 2002.

Yang Xueni, a 25-year-old woman from Zhejiang Province, was sentenced to three years for collaborating with Zhang.

Questions?Comments? Click here

US TV dump charges not just a biz spat: Analysis ( 4 Messages)

China not to tolerate splitting Taiwan from motherland: Premier ( 3 Messages)

Trade war? A buying spree for cheap Chinese goods ( 3 Messages)

Moon probe to blast off in 3 years: Chief scientists ( 2 Messages)

Bush strategy: Spend now, pay later? ( 35 Messages)