logo
Two more Chinese football officials jailed and fined in corruption crackdown

Two more Chinese football officials jailed and fined in corruption crackdown

Two more Chinese football officials were sent to prison for more than a decade and ordered to pay huge fines on Wednesday, the latest move in an ongoing corruption crackdown in the sport.
Advertisement
Liu Jun, the former chairman of the Chinese Super League company, was given an 11-year jail term by a court in central Hubei province, and was also fined 1.1 million yuan (US$153,000) on charges of 'bribery'.
State media said Liu's 'illegal gains resulting from the bribery' would be recovered and turned over to the state treasury.
Reports of Liu's fall from grace emerged nearly two years ago when he was placed under investigation for suspected corruption.
And Wang Xiaoping, who previously headed the Chinese Football Association's disciplinary committee, has been jailed for 10½ years and fined 700,000 yuan.
Advertisement
His 'illegal gains from bribery and related earnings' would be recovered and turned over to the national treasury, the people's court of Songzi City in Hubei announced in a public ruling.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Fans of K-pop star G-Dragon scammed out of HK$610k in fake tickets for Hong Kong concerts
Fans of K-pop star G-Dragon scammed out of HK$610k in fake tickets for Hong Kong concerts

HKFP

time8 hours ago

  • HKFP

Fans of K-pop star G-Dragon scammed out of HK$610k in fake tickets for Hong Kong concerts

Fans of South Korean pop star Kwon Ji-yong, also known as G-Dragon, were scammed out of more than HK$610,000 worth of fake tickets to his sold-out Hong Kong concerts, police said. Since mid-July, police have received over 200 reports of suspected ticket scams, with nearly 30 cases linked to G-Dragon's world tour stop in the city this week, according to a Facebook post by CyberDefender, a unit under the Cyber Security and Technology Crime Bureau. While police did not disclose the total number of victims, the force said one woman paid HK$8,000 for two scalped tickets – originally priced at HK$2,399 each. The seller later demanded more money to 'secure the tickets,' and the woman eventually paid more than HK$180,000 in three transactions. The seller then became unreachable. 'As a concert approaches, social media will inevitably be flooded with suspicious ticket posts – including scalped tickets, fake tickets or no tickets at all,' the Facebook post in Chinese warned. 'Before making any payment, check the seller's background. Search their phone number, bank account number, and page name, and look out for negative reviews.' Local media reported that the police handled more than 800 ticket scam cases last month, involving concert tickets, theme park tickets, flight tickets, various ball game tickets and tickets for meet and greet with celebrities. The total loss amounted to more than HK$4 million. In June, eight people were arrested for allegedly selling high-quality counterfeit tickets to concerts of Cantopop singer Nicholas Tse, Taiwanese singer Jay Chou, and four other artists. The eight suspects were part of a cross-border syndicate involved in at least 40 suspected scams, according to local media. The total loss stood at around HK$650,000. Police said at the time that the syndicate had a clear division of labour, with the mastermind using different social media platforms to post advertisements or photos of tickets with average resolution. They would also cover part of the ticket's front to make it difficult for the public to verify its authenticity. Printing factories were used to mass-produce the fake tickets, while the syndicate would recruit people to meet the buyers in person to complete the transactions. The scammers would also present forged QR codes and doctored screenshots of fake official purchase records to win the trust of buyers.

Australian police charge Chinese national with ‘foreign interference' over alleged spying for Beijing
Australian police charge Chinese national with ‘foreign interference' over alleged spying for Beijing

HKFP

time8 hours ago

  • HKFP

Australian police charge Chinese national with ‘foreign interference' over alleged spying for Beijing

Australian police said Monday they had charged a Chinese national with 'reckless foreign interference', accusing the woman of spying on local Buddhists for Beijing. Assistant police commissioner Stephen Nutt said the unnamed woman had been covertly gathering information on the Guan Yin Citta Buddhist association in Australia's capital, Canberra. Nutt said she was working under the command of China's Public Security Bureau, the country's main domestic law enforcement body. 'We allege the activity was to support the intelligence objectives of China's Public Security Bureau,' said Nutt, from the special investigations division of the Australian Federal Police. 'It is a crime carried out by, or on behalf of, a foreign principle involving covert or deceptive conduct.' The woman — who cannot be named for legal reasons — is an Australian permanent resident. She was arrested and charged with 'reckless foreign interference' after police raided a number of houses in Canberra over the weekend. 'During the searches, a number of items, including electronic devices, were seized and will undergo forensic examination,' police said in a statement. Reckless foreign interference carries a maximum of 15 years in prison. China's sprawling security apparatus has long been accused of infiltrating community organisations as a way to keep tabs on expats and dissidents. But it is rare that a major trading partner such as Australia so bluntly links Beijing to a covert influence plot. 'At a time of permanent regional contest, offenders will attempt to spy on individuals, groups and institutions in Australia,' said Nutt. Appalling assault Australian police have foiled a series of foreign interference plots in recent years, but these have typically targeted migrant communities. Nutt said this case was unusual in that it also appeared to be targeting Australian citizens. 'This is the first time the AFP has charged a person with foreign interference that allegedly involves targeting members of the Australian community,' he said. Police started investigating the woman in March 2025 after receiving a tipoff from the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, Australia's top counter-espionage agency. Australia's spy chief Mike Burgess last week warned of the mounting domestic security threat posed by foreign actors such as China. 'Foreign interference of the kind alleged is an appalling assault on Australian values, freedoms and sovereignty,' Burgess said on Monday. 'Anyone who thinks it is acceptable to monitor, intimidate and potentially repatriate members of our diaspora communities should never underestimate our capabilities and resolve.'

EU condemns arrest of former Macau pro-democracy lawmaker
EU condemns arrest of former Macau pro-democracy lawmaker

HKFP

time2 days ago

  • HKFP

EU condemns arrest of former Macau pro-democracy lawmaker

The European Union on Saturday condemned Macau's arrest of former pro-democracy lawmaker Au Kam-san, saying it only heightened concerns about the 'erosion of political pluralism' in the Chinese territory. This photo taken on December 12, 2024 shows Au Kam-san, a primary school teacher who became one of Macau's longest-serving pro-democracy legislators, posing for a portrait in Macau. Photo: Eduardo Leal/AFP. Au is the first person to be arrested under the city's national security law. Authorities alleged on Thursday that the 68-year-old primary school teacher had ties to foreign groups endangering China. 'This development adds to the existing concerns about the ongoing erosion of political pluralism and freedom of speech in the Macao Special Administrative Region,' said European Union spokesperson Anitta Hipper in a statement. 'The EU recalls that the respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms is a central element of the Macao Basic Law and 'one country, two systems',' set up in the former Portuguese colony. The territory near Hong Kong and known for its casinos, has retained its own legal system since China took it back from Portugal in 1999. The security law, which restricts political activity, was passed in 2009 but broadened in 2023. Au, a legislator up to 2021, has campaigned on social welfare, corruption and electoral reform. Support HKFP | Policies & Ethics | Error/typo? | Contact Us | Newsletter | Transparency & Annual Report | Apps Safeguard press freedom; keep HKFP free for all readers by supporting our team Produced externally by an organization we trust to adhere to high journalistic standards.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store