China Official Sold Car Plates For Millions: Prosecutors

Even ordinary car plates are difficult to obtain in Beijing after authorities introduced a lottery system in 2011 to limit vehicle numbers as part of their efforts to fight air pollution and gridlock ©- (AFP) INSET "Jing-A" plates (Stock photo, Naijagraphitti Imagebank)

A former head of Beijing's traffic management office went on trial for handing out coveted car number plates to businesspeople in return for nearly US$4 million in bribes, a court said.

Song Jianguo allegedly accepted more than 23.9 million yuan (US$3.9 million) in bribes over the decade from 2004 to last year, the Beijing No.1 Intermediate People's Court said in a statement.

During the period his posts included director of the Beijing Traffic Management Bureau.

He was accused of illegally handing out highly-prized "Jing-A" car plates, which start with the Chinese character for "capital".

AFP report continues:

They are mostly used for government vehicles, so police rarely intervene if they violate traffic rules, and are also regarded as a status symbol.

Even ordinary car plates are difficult to obtain in Beijing after authorities introduced a lottery system in 2011 to limit vehicle numbers as part of their efforts to fight air pollution and gridlock.

Jing-A plates are not available through the lottery pool and can only be issued by approval from one of a few high-level traffic officials, such as Song.

His customers included vehicle-rental company bosses and property developers, the court statement said Monday.

Song also introduced businesspeople to a gallery whose manager gave him half the value of their purchases, the Beijing Youth Daily reported Tuesday.

He received 15.3 million yuan through that route, the newspaper said, but denied in court that the money amounted to bribes.

China's ruling Communist party has vowed to crack down on endemic corruption, with several former senior figures placed under investigation in recent years.

But there have not been systemic reforms and critics say that with tight controls on media and the judicial system the campaign is open to being used for factional infighting.