Wan Ruizhong, was executed in Nanning, the capital...

Wan Ruizhong, was executed in Nanning, the capital of southwest China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, for bribery and abuse of power. Wan, a former Communist Party secretary of the region's Nandan County, had been convicted of taking bribes and abusing his power, and executed following approval by the Supreme People's Court. Wan was also convicted of plotting to cover up a mine accident that killed 81 miners in July 2001, according to the Nanning City Intermediate People's Court. The deaths occurred when the county's Lajiapo mine, which was under Wan's direct jurisdiction, flooded on 17 July, 2001. Investigation of the accident led to the exposure of Wan and other corrupt officials in the county. Wan was also sentenced to the confiscation of his personal property of 500,000 yuan (approximately 60,000 US dollars), and his illegal income of 2.68m yuan (323,000 US dollars) was turned over to the national treasury. His appeal was rejected by the Guangxi Regional Higher People's Court 26 August, 2002.