China's 'beautiful governor' faces jail over bribes, affairs with 58 subordinates
A famous Chinese female official has been sentenced to 13 years in prison and fined one million yuan (around P7.9M) for misconduct.
Zhong Yang, an official from Southwest China, was jailed for having sexual relations with 58 subordinates and accepting roughly 60 million yuan (around P474M)-worth of bribes, the South China Morning Post reported.
"I am ashamed of my actions. When you take something that doesn't belong to you, it will ultimately destroy you," Zhong stated in a documentary on her controversies.
Zhong, dubbed "The Beautiful Governor,' was first recognized after spending her funds to help the elders and establishing a fruit and agriculture association to help farmers.
However, her striking image and personality were short-lived, as a documentary unveiled several anomalies in her political career.
The Guizhou Radio and Television-produced documentary revealed that Zhong accepted bribes and used her position to secure lucrative contracts for the companies she favored, disguised as a government project.
One of her lucrative and exclusive contracts was a 170,000-square-meter land development in a high-tech industrial estate for a businessman who reportedly had a close relationship with the 52-year-old governor. The businessman turned the land into real estate, where Zhong allegedly profited.
In the documentary, a private businessman revealed that Zhong would neglect businesses that don't have personal relations with her.
Meanwhile, Zhong's alleged sexual affairs with 58 of her male subordinates were done under the pretext of business trips and working overtime. She was said to have spent time with her lovers in private nightclubs and reportedly carried condoms in her handbag.
Some of her lovers said that they agreed to have an affair with her because of two factors: the advantages she offered and out of fear of her authority.
Zhong joined the Communist Party at 22 and has risen to the rank of deputy in the National People's Congress (NPC).
In April 2023, the Guizhou government initiated an investigation into her, revealing her corruption which caused NPC to revoke her position.
Zhong has been removed from the Communist Party and, as a public official, one of China's most severe penalties for political officials.