Since 1997, 17 provincial transportation officials have been investigated for corruption, along with hundreds of officials of lower rank.

On March 16, the most recent case saw a top communications and highways official in Beijing sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve, essentially life in prison. Bi Yuxi had taken 10 million yuan (US$1.2 million) in bribes and embezzled 3 million yuan (US$361,446) in state-owned assets.

The extent of corruption in transport departments has aroused concern amongst the public and media, which have attributed it to rapid development in the country's transport infrastructure and lack of effective supervision mechanisms.

Over 1.7 trillion yuan has been invested in highway infrastructure since 1998, nearly twice the total of the previous 40 years. The total length of expressways increased from 10,000 km in 1999 to 34,000 km by the end of 2004, ranking second in the world.

The massive influx of money into the sector has encouraged hundreds of corrupt officials, especially those in charge of transportation projects. Most of those convicted have been sentenced to long-term prison sentences or death for taking huge bribes.

According to the media, many of these officials were once honest but became crooked after becoming heads of transportation departments.

Most transportation infrastructure projects are funded, built and supervised by local governments, meaning that investors, builders and supervisors practically belong to the same department.

"In such circumstances, without effective supervision, it is not unusual for those in charge of the project to pocket several million from the total cost of several billion yuan," said an anonymous official who had worked in a transport department for 30 years.

Local transportation directors often decide who gets each building contract, though this should be arranged through public bidding according to the law, the official said.

"Builders still have to bribe local officials to receive final approval," he added.

Critics have said these cases prove that a supervision mechanism based on division of investors, builders and supervisors is urgently needed.

Ju Jinwen, professor at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said that each department's monopoly of power is the major reason for rampant corruption among transportation officials.

He said that the only way to ultimately resolve the problem is to introduce market-orientated investment and management systems to state-funded transportation projects.

"China's transportation infrastructure market should be more open to private and foreign investors, and more severe judicial means should be introduced to control quality," Ju said. 

The 17 provincial transportation officials investigated for corruption since 1997 are:

1. Zeng Jincheng, former director of Communication Department in Henan Province, was sentenced to 15 years in prison in 1997.

2. Liu Zhongshan, former director of Communication Department in Sichuan Province, was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve in 2000.

3. Zheng Daofang, former deputy director of Communication Department in Sichuan Province, was sentenced to death in 2000.

4. Zhang Kuntong, former director of Communication Department in Henan Province, was sentenced to life in prison in 2001.

5. Ma Qiwei, former deputy director of Communication Department in Hunan Province, was sentenced to life in prison in 2001.

6. Chu Zhitian, former deputy director of Communication Department in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, was sentenced to 11 years in prison in 2002.

7. Li Xianglei, former deputy director of Communication Department in Guangdong Province, was sentenced to 13 years in prison in 2002.

8. Lu Wanli, former director of Communication Department in Guizhou Province, was sentenced to death in May 2004 in the first trial, and is now in second trial.

9. Shi Faliang, former director of Communication Department in Henan Province, was arrested for taking bribes in 2004, and his case now has been sent to judicial departments.

10. Niu He'en, former director of Communication Department in Guangdong Province, was sentenced to 13 years in prison in 2005.

11. Zhang Youde, former director of Communication Department in Guizhou Province, was sentenced to 17 years and six months in prison in 2003.

12. Aman Haji, vice chairman of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and former director of Communication Department, was arrested for corruption in 2004, and his case has been sent to judicial departments.

13. Zhang Junyuan, former director of Communication Department in Jiangsu Province, was removed from his post for violation of law and regulations in 2004 and was under investigation.

14. Wang Xingyao, former director of Communication Department in Anhui Province, was arrested for involvement in economic crimes in 2004.

15. Wang Xiaoci, former deputy director of Communication Department in Heilongjiang Province, was sentenced to life in prison in 2004.

16. Jin Fuxiang, former deputy director of Communication Department in Yunnan Province, was sentenced to two years and six months in prison in 2004.

17. Bi Yuxi, former deputy director of Beijing's communication bureau, was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve in 2005. 

(Xinhua News Agency March 31, 2005)