Zhang Qi
张琦
Communist Party Secretary of Haikou
In office
November 2016 – September 2019
Preceded bySun Xinyang
Succeeded byHe Zhongyou
Communist Party Secretary of Sanya
In office
October 2014 – November 2016
Preceded byJiang Sixian
Succeeded byYan Zhaojun
Communist Party Secretary of Danzhou
In office
February 2010 – October 2014
Preceded byDing Shanqing
Succeeded byYan Zhaojun
Mayor of Danzhou
In office
August 2008 – February 2010
Preceded byGuo Quanmao
Succeeded byLi Jianghua
Personal details
BornMarch 1961 (age 63)
Shou County, Anhui, China
Political partyCommunist Party of China (1983–2020; expelled)
SpouseQian Ling
Alma materHainan Normal University
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese張琦
Simplified Chinese张琦

Zhang Qi (Chinese: 张琦; born March 1961) is a former Chinese politician who spent most of his career in Hainan province. He was investigated by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI - the party's internal disciplinary body) and the National Supervisory Commission, the highest anti-corruption agency of China, in September 2019. Previously he served as Party chief of Haikou, capital of Hainan province. Zhang is the first senior official who was placed under investigation in Hainan since the Communist Party of China's 19th National Congress in late 2017 and the fourth incumbent provincial level official was sacked for graft since then.[1][2][3]

Early life and education

Zhang was born in Shou County, Anhui, in March 1961. After the Resumption of College Entrance Examination, he was accepted to Hainan Normal University, where he majored in mathematics. After graduation, he worked as secretary of Communist Youth League of China there.[1][2][3]

Career

In October 1991, he was transferred to Haikou, capital of Hainan province, and became an official in Hainan Provincial Government. In February 2003 he was promoted to become vice-mayor of Haikou, a position he held until May 2006, when he was appointed head of Hainan Provincial Tourism Bureau. He was mayor and deputy party chief of Danzhou in August 2008, and 14 months later promoted to the Party chief position. He became the Party chief of Sanya in October 2014, and served until November 2016. He was Party chief of Haikou in November 2016, and held that office until September 2019, when he was placed under investigation by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), the party's internal disciplinary body, and the National Supervisory Commission, the highest anti-corruption agency of China.[1][2][3][4]

Investigation and arrest

In September 2019, he was investigated for "suspected serious violations of disciplinary rules and laws" by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), and the National Supervisory Commission.[3] Police found 13.5 tonnes of gold hidden in his home during an anti-corruption raid. In addition to the gold, inspectors also discovered 268 billion yuan (£30 billion) in suspected bribes in his bank account, which would make him the richest man in China.[5][6]

On March 4, 2020, Zhang has been expelled from the Communist Party of China (CPC) and dismissed from public offices.[7] On July 9, his trial was held at the Intermediate People's Court of Guangzhou.[8] On December 3, the Intermediate People's Court of Guangzhou sentenced him to life in prison for accepting bribes. Qi was also stripped of all of his assets and permanently deprived of his political rights. Under Chinese law, Qi will likely also have to perform prison labor.[9][10] The court said that Zhang Qi was found to have illegally accepted money and gifts amounting to over 107 million yuan (16.3 million U.S. dollars) while holding various Party and government positions between 2005 and 2019, abusing his positions to help organizations and individuals in areas such as land development and project contracting.[10] His subordinates, Wang Tieming (王铁明), Lan Wenquan (蓝文全), Zhu Yongsheng (朱永盛), and Deng Min (邓敏) were sacked for graft before he stepped down in September 2019.[11]

Personal life

Zhang married Qian Ling (钱玲), who is a businesswoman.[11]

References

  1. ^ a b c 海口市委书记张琦落马 [Zhang Qi, party chief of Haikou, has been placed under investigation]. qq.com (in Chinese). 2019-09-06.
  2. ^ a b c Liu Guangbo (刘光博), ed. (2019-09-06). 海南省委常委海口市委书记张琦被查 [Zhang Qi, party chief of Haikou and Standing Committee member of CPC Hainan Provincial Committee, was placed under investigation]. sina (in Chinese).
  3. ^ a b c d "Haikou Party Boss Falls Under Graft Investigation". Caixin Global. 7 September 2019.
  4. ^ Yuan Shenggao (23 October 2018). "New wetlands help to transform tourist capital". chinadaily. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
  5. ^ "Xi's graft watchdogs are sleeping". Taipei Times. 18 October 2019.
  6. ^ "Thousands of gold bars recovered from official in China". The Express Tribune. 4 October 2019.
  7. ^ "Former senior provincial official in South China expelled from CPC, office". Chinadaily.com. 4 March 2020. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
  8. ^ "Former senior provincial official confesses to bribery charges". xinhuanet.com. 9 July 2020. Archived from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
  9. ^ "Factbox: China's use of prison labor". Reuters. 2019-12-24. Retrieved 2022-06-22.
  10. ^ a b Zou Shuo (3 December 2020). "Former Haikou chief given life sentence for bribery". chinadaily.com. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
  11. ^ a b 前一天还在出席会议的“海南虎”张琦 受贿超1亿当庭认罪. china.com.cn (in Chinese). 2 November 2020. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
Government offices Preceded byGuo Quanmao (.mw-parser-output .nobold{font-weight:normal}郭全茂) Mayor of Danzhou 2008–2010 Succeeded byLi Jianghua (李江华) Party political offices Preceded byDing Shanqing (丁尚清) Communist Party Secretary of Danzhou 2010–2014 Succeeded byYan Zhaojun (严朝君) Preceded byJiang Sixian (姜斯宪) Communist Party Secretary of Sanya 2014–2016 Succeeded byYan Zhaojun (严朝君) Preceded bySun Xinyang (孙新阳) Communist Party Secretary of Haikou 2016–2019 Succeeded byHe Zhongyou
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