The then Secretary of the Municipal Party Committee and Mayor have all been arrested, and Yulin has announced a thorough investigation into the illegal construction of golf courses in desertified areas. The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection | Supervision Commission | Region
On September 12th, China Central Radio and Television (CCTV) exposed that the illegal construction of golf courses in the desertified areas of Yulin, Shaanxi has been operating without any approval procedures for more than ten years. On the evening of September 12th, the joint investigation team of Yulin City, Shaanxi Province issued a situation report:
At around 17:00 on September 12, 2023, the CCTV news client announced that "illegal construction of golf courses in desertified areas of Yulin, Shaanxi has been operating without any approval procedures for more than ten years." Yulin City attaches great importance to this and has established a joint investigation team composed of relevant departments such as the Municipal Development and Reform Commission, the Municipal Public Security Bureau, the Municipal Resource Planning Bureau, the Municipal Ecological Environment Bureau, the Municipal Water Resources Bureau, the Municipal Forestry and Grassland Bureau, the Municipal Urban Management Bureau, and the Yuyang District Government to conduct a thorough investigation. At present, the investigation is ongoing.
According to a survey by CCTV News, the golf course in the involved "Green Taosha Desert Ecological City" was built in 2008 and opened to the public in 2011, according to the course staff. The planning of the golf course exceeds 4000 acres, as the entire course is distributed among numerous sand dunes with large undulations in the fairway. Playing here is more challenging than ordinary golf courses, and it is a rare desert golf course in China. The stadium adopts a reservation and membership system, with a minimum membership card of 320000 yuan and a business card of 46800 yuan. The staff said that although the price is expensive, there are many people coming to play every day, ranging from 70 to 80 people to nearly 200 people.
In 2004, the General Office of the State Council issued a notice on suspending the construction of new golf courses. Starting from January 10, 2004, local governments at all levels and all departments of the State Council are not allowed to approve the construction of new golf course projects.
CCTV News questioned why the construction of the golf course in Yulin's "Green Taosha Desert Ecological City" began in 2008? Are there any relevant approval procedures for the stadium?
On September 12th, in response to this issue, the reporter visited the Yulin Development and Reform Commission. The staff of the Social Development Department of the Yulin Development and Reform Commission stated that the Green Taosha Golf Course has not completed the project approval procedures. The reporter learned from the Yulin Natural Resources and Planning Bureau that the Green Taosha Golf Course is an illegal construction project without approval procedures. After comparing the satellite maps of the second and third national land surveys by the data center, it was determined that before the construction of the golf course, the land was classified as "shrub land". Preliminary statistics show that the Green Taosha Golf Course, with only 18 lanes, covers an area of 2960 acres, and all above ground buildings are considered to have been built before approval.
The reporter from Pengpai News noticed that the construction of the "Green Taosha Desert Ecological City" in Yulin City around 2008 was a period of frequent local corruption problems in Yulin. Li Jinzhu, the then Secretary of the Municipal Party Committee, and Hu Zhiqiang, the Mayor, were both investigated thereafter.
On the evening of May 29, 2023, the website of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Supervisory Commission announced that Li Jinzhu, former deputy director of the Standing Committee of the Shaanxi Provincial People's Congress, was suspected of serious violations of discipline and law and is currently undergoing disciplinary review and supervisory investigation by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Supervisory Commission.
According to public data, Li Jinzhu, male, Han nationality, was born in Cangzhou, Hebei Province in February 1955. He started working in February 1982 and joined the CPC in May 1976. He is an on-the-job postgraduate, master of engineering and researcher. Li Jinzhu served in the former Ministry of Coal Industry for a long time in his early years.
In April 2006, Li Jinzhu came to the local office and his first stop was Yulin, Shaanxi. Yulin City is located in the northernmost part of Shaanxi Province, with outstanding resource advantages and abundant coal, gas, oil, and salt resources. Li Jinzhu has successively served as the Deputy Secretary of the Municipal Party Committee, Acting Mayor, and Mayor of the city. In February 2008, Li Jinzhu was appointed as the Secretary of the Yulin Municipal Party Committee.
In May 2011, Li Jinzhu was promoted to the position of Deputy Governor of Shaanxi Province. During his tenure as the Vice Governor of Shaanxi Province, he was mainly responsible for industrial and information technology, state-owned asset supervision, safety production, and small and medium-sized enterprises, and participated in the construction of the Shaanxi North Energy and Chemical Base. In January 2015, Li Jinzhu was transferred to the position of Deputy Director and Party Member of the Standing Committee of the Shaanxi Provincial People's Congress. Three years later, the leadership team of the Standing Committee of the Shaanxi Provincial People's Congress changed, and Li Jinzhu, who was 63 years old at the time, was not re elected.
According to public reports, Hu Zhiqiang, born in October 1963 in Shanxi, holds a graduate degree from the Central Party School and a Master's degree in Business Administration. Hu Zhiqiang previously served as the Deputy Secretary General of the Shaanxi Provincial Government and a member of the Party Group of the Office. In February 2008, he succeeded Li Jinzhu as the Deputy Secretary and Mayor of Yulin City. In July 2011, he took over from Li Jinzhu as the Secretary of Yulin City Party Committee. In 2017, he was transferred to the Party Group Secretary of the Shaanxi Provincial Health and Family Planning Commission.
On June 12, 2018, the Shaanxi Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection and Supervision announced that Hu Zhiqiang, the Secretary of the Party Group of the Shaanxi Provincial Health and Family Planning Commission, is suspected of serious violations of discipline and law and is under disciplinary review and supervision investigation. In December, the Shaanxi Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection and Supervision released the news that Hu Zhiqiang was "double opened".
After investigation, it was found that Hu Zhiqiang seriously violated political discipline and rules, did not correctly fulfill the main responsibility of comprehensively and strictly governing the party, and damaged the political ecology; Inadequate implementation of poverty alleviation strategies and deployments; Engage in political attachment; Lack of ideals and beliefs, engaging in feudal superstitious activities; Opposing organizational investigations. Serious violation of the spirit of the central eight point regulations and integrity discipline, and violation of regulations requiring subordinate units to pay expenses that should be borne by individuals; Repeatedly receiving gifts and gifts that may affect the fair performance of official duties; Taking transportation beyond the standard; Accept banquets that may affect the fair execution of official duties; Using one's authority to seek personal gain for relatives and those around them. Serious violation of organizational discipline, using power to seek benefits for others in terms of promotion; Losing principles in the appointment of cadres and creating a harmonious atmosphere; When organizing an understanding of its related issues, it is not enough to truthfully explain the situation; Violating regulations by concealing or not reporting personal matters; Not strictly implementing the leave reporting system. Serious violation of public discipline and disregard for the interests of the masses. Serious violation of work discipline, interference and interference in major construction projects; Abuse of power and violation of arrangements for investigation of relevant issues. Serious violation of life discipline and extravagant lifestyle. Violation of national laws and regulations constitutes violation of official duties. Taking advantage of one's position to seek benefits for others, accepting huge amounts of property, and suspected of committing bribery crimes.
Afterwards, Li Jinzhu and Hu Zhiqiang, who had been deeply involved in the coal industry for many years, were named as involved in multiple corruption cases in the judgments of several already public cases.
From August 20th to 21st, 2019, the Xi'an Intermediate People's Court held a public trial of the bribery case of Hu Zhiqiang, former secretary of the Yulin Municipal Party Committee. The indictment shows that the prosecution accused Hu Zhiqiang of receiving property in foreign currencies such as RMB and USD, gold products, cars, calligraphy and painting, Maotai liquor, and central air conditioning. Interface News converted the foreign currency amount he received at the current exchange rate, and Hu Zhiqiang was accused of receiving a total value of approximately RMB 104 million in property. Among them, 33 people bribed Hu Zhiqiang for work arrangements, job adjustments or promotions, totaling over 27 million yuan.
The individuals who bribed Hu Zhiqiang with the above-mentioned property, in addition to the former richest man in Shaanxi, Gao Naize, and other businessmen, also included a group of Yulin officials, such as Liu Huan, former deputy secretary of the Mizhi County Committee in Yulin City, Xin Yaofeng, former secretary of the Jiaxian County Committee, and Zhang Xiaoming, former director of the Yulin Human Resources and Social Security Bureau. And Hu Zhiqiang's wife Yang Bofang, brother-in-law Yang Zhijun, and others have also been accused of repeatedly participating in Hu Zhiqiang's bribery crimes. The bribery locations are mostly in Hu Zhiqiang's office in Yulin or his home in Yulin, Xi'an, Taiyuan, Beijing, and other places.
