Chen Liang-yu (陈良宇) was Shanghai Party Secretary (上海市委书记) until removed in 2006 following an alleged scandal involving Social Security. [In Chinese.] Was the Social Security scandal the fundamental reason for his removal?. His swift rise to the Politburo in 2001 as a protégé of Jiang Zemin and the Shanghai faction preceded an even swifter fall following the presidency of Hu Jin-Tao in 2003.
Whether or not Chen Wei-li (陈维力) was a fundamental participant in his father's corruption or the innocent son of a guilty man, it is clear from this discussion that the simple fact of his family connection to the accused was an important bargaining chip upon which prosecutors relied to induce "a good attitude" (良好态度) in both men in the courtroom and most likely with the prosecution's investigation. [In Chinese.] If it is true that $400 million was appropriated from the Social Security program as alleged -- and, who knows, it may have been a lot more than that -- how much has been returned? Little mention {none...) has been made of that aspect of this case. Where did all those great gobs of money really go?
For some background on the scandal itself, see this page. [In Chinese.]
