Ex-tycoon and brother given death sentences

AN BAIJIE

Former mining tycoon Liu Han was given the death penalty on Friday on charges including murder and leading mafia-style gangs.

  Liu, former chairman of Hanlong Group, the biggest private enterprise in Sichuan province, was tried with 35 other suspects at seven courts in Xianning, Hubei province. The 17-day trial started on March 31.

  It was the largest criminal group of its kind to be tried in China in recent years.

  Five of the defendants, including Liu Han's brother Liu Wei, were sentenced to death. Five others received the death penalty with a two-year reprieve. All the others were also punished, including four sentenced to life imprisonment.

  Liu Xuejun and Lyu Bin, former police officers, and Liu Zhongwei, a former prosecutor, were sentenced to 16 years, 11 years and 13 years in prison, respectively, for harboring Liu Han's criminal organization and taking bribes.

  It remained unclear whether the Liu brothers and others convicted would appeal.

  Xianning Intermediate People's Court said in a statement that the verdicts showed a firm resolve to fight mafia-like criminal groups and crimes, to maintain social equality and to protect the public interest.

  The court found that Liu Han started to make illegal gains through running gambling dens in Guanghan, Sichuan province, two decades ago. From 1997, when he set up the Hanlong Group, he and Liu Wei cooperated in recruiting a gang that developed gradually into a relatively stable criminal organization.

  The court statement said eight people were killed by members of the organization, and Liu Han and Liu Wei should be held to account, as they were the group leaders.

  It also said the group had a clear division of labor, with Liu Han responsible for commanding it and for decision-making, while Liu Wei led "hatchet men" or "bodyguards". The group made "tremendous" financial gains through organized crime and became an economic force to be reckoned with.

  The court found the group planned and committed murders and assaults, locked up its enemies, took part in extortion and illegal trade, possessed arms, and subjected people to tyranny, the statement said.