It is not just India that is reeling under Corruption. China too is waging its own battle against this blight on society as this excerpt from Party: The Secret World of China's Communist Rulers by Richard McGregor shows. The excerpt has been extracted with permission from Penguin Books India, the publishers and distributors of the book in India. 'Not much money'
When the former vice-mayor of Beijing, Liu Zhihua, was convicted in September 2008 of taking bribes worth about $1 million, local netizens lampooned him on internet postings as an under-performer.
'That's not much money!' one blogger said of Liu, who had been in charge of construction for the Olympics. 'He should count as a clean official. No need for a trial. Release him now!'
Image: Workers seen outside the what went on to become the famed Bird's Nest Olympic stadium while it was under construction in Beijing in this 2006 file photo. It was in June that year that following a meeting of the Standing Committee of the Beijing Municipal People's Congress that Liu, who was in charge of the Olympic projects as vice-mayor of Beijing, was fired and arrested on suspicions of corruption.
AFP Images
