It should only be in the Thousand and One Nights that a boiler capable of turning waste plastic into gasoline or diesel oil exists.

But in real life in 2001, a so-called science company in Beijing made 1.7 million yuan (US$200,000) from 76 victims in a month by fraudulently selling such magic machines.

The last of eight suspects, 35-year-old Li Jian faced a court trial yesterday at the Beijing No 1 Intermediate People's Court after absconding for three years.

The other seven were sentenced to imprisonment of between two and 15 years in 2002.

The No 1 Branch of the Beijing Municipal People's Procuratorate, the public prosecutor, said Li committed the crime of swindling.

"As the first step, an advertisement showing how the company turned waste plastic into gasoline was broadcast by China Central Television and other local television stations in early 2001," Cheng Jin, the prosecutor, said in court yesterday.

"Then the principal offender Li, together with another seven company staff, further deceived the victims with a so-called production base in Daxing District of Beijing from January to February in 2001," he said.

The 76 victims, including disabled people and laid-off workers, were from all over China, the prosecutor said.

"He and the other criminals injected gasoline and diesel oil into a secret pipe connected to the boiler," he charged.

"Thus the buyers believed that the equipment really produced gasoline or diesel oil out of plastic," Cheng said.

"Afterwards, the company signed contracts with the 76 victims and swindled money out of them," the prosecutor said.

The defendant Li was responsible for setting up equipment for the so-called oil refining show, conducting "technical training" for buyers and marketing.

Li admitted the crime.

"I am sorry for what I did. I would like to say sorry to those people whom we cheated out of money," he said.

"But I am not the prime culprit as the prosecutor alleged," the defendant said.

"I was only an employee who earned 800 yuan (US$97) per month at the company." he claimed in court.

"In fact, at first, I was also cheated by the other people. They told me they could truly extract oil from waste plastic," Li said.

The defendant was caught last year in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province.

No court decision on sentence was made yesterday.

Most of the 1.7 million yuan of swindled money had not been returned, according to the court.

People had to pay 800 yuan (US$97) to watch the fake production procedure before signing a contract. Prices of boilers were 50,000 yuan (US$6,000), 30,000 yuan (US$3,600) and 10,000 yuan (US$1,200).

(China Daily February 23, 2005)