Fall of anti-mafia hero shakes China's model city

By Bill Smith Feb 9, 2012, 12:10 GMT

Beijing - A purported open letter from China's most famous law enforcement officer on Thursday intensified rumours of in-fighting, corruption and organized crime in a city that one of the Communist Party's rising stars had turned into a model of security and harmony.

The letter, in the name of Wang Lijun, accused Bo Xilai of being 'the biggest mafia boss' in Chongqing, a sprawling conurbation of some 30 million people in south-western China.

As Chongqing's Communist Party secretary, Bo oversaw a much-praised but controversial campaign against organized crime and official corruption.

Bo is a junior member of the party's 25-member Politburo and was tipped to break into its all-powerful, nine-member Standing Committee in November. He is also a 'princeling' son of Bo Yibo, one of the party's 'eight immortals' from the late 1970s.

Wang, dubbed a 'super cop' by state media for his anti-mafia exploits in other cities, led the Chongqing drive as police chief.

The campaign resulted in the arrests of thousands of suspects in the last three years. About 2,000 people faced trial, including 77 officials who had protected criminal gangs, according to official reports.

Yet some insiders have claimed that behind the self-congratulatory statements of officials and police, organized crime remained entrenched in Chongqing and still reached to the highest levels.

Others critics said the crackdown was too draconian, even for China's authoritarian government.

'Chongqing is now considered the safest city in China,' the official Chongqing Daily said in a front page report on Thursday.

The newspaper lauded the city's three-year crackdown on organized crime and corruption. But the report, which was also the lead news item on the city government's official website, did not mention either Wang or Bo.

Alongside the anti-crime campaign, Bo led a public morality drive that earned praise from Vice President Xi Jinping during a visit to the city last year.

But Bo's call for residents to join public performances of socialist-inspired 'red' songs was ridiculed by some who feared it could encourage a return to the Maoist fundamentalism of the 1966-76 Cultural Revolution.

Before the crackdown, Chongqing was reportedly one of China's biggest centres for weapons trafficking, while the gangs also controlled prostitution, gambling, drugs, entertainment and many local businesses, including one city bus company.

Much of the organized crime was committed under the 'protective umbrellas' of corrupt local police and officials.

Among the dozens of people executed during the campaign against the gangs was Wen Qiang, the former deputy police chief and head of the city's justice department.

Now Wang has also fallen from office, but the reasons remain unclear. The city government on Wednesday said 'it was reported' that Wang was 'receiving vacation-style treatment' for stress and exhaustion caused by overwork.

The city government's oddly worded statement came amid unconfirmed reports that Wang was detained on Monday evening outside the US consulate in Chengdu, a city near Chongqing, and transferred to Beijing by State Security officers.

US State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland on Wednesday confirmed that Wang met US officials on Monday in Chendgu 'in his capacity as vice mayor' and that he 'later left the consulate of his own volition.' Nuland declined to say if Wang had requested asylum or give details of the meeting.

Rumours began circulating last week after the surprise news that the nation's most-celebrated crime fighter had left his police job and would continue as a a deputy mayor responsible for economic affairs.

But Wang, 52, may not be leaving without a fight. Thursday's letter in his name, which could not be verified as authentic, accused Bo of being 'cold and ruthless' in his pursuit of power.

The letter was posted on the US-based Chinese dissident website Boxun. It said it was given the letter, dated February 3, by 'an overseas friend of Wang Lijun' whose identity was withheld.

Zhang Ming, a political scientist at People's University in Beijing, said he was unsure if the letter was genuine. 'But the tone is very similar to Wang's,' Zhang told dpa.

Zhang said the fall-out from the scandal and rumours surrounding Wang's demise, whatever the real reasons behind it, would probably have a 'big impact' on Chinese politics and ruin the reputations of both Chongqing and Bo.

'After Wang's internal fight, at least the 'Chongqing model' that (Bo) elaborately established would break down,' Zhang said.

'I suppose his further political career plans ... could also be wrecked,' he said.