[Epoch Times, March 25, 2022]On March 21, Shen Deyong, the former vice president of the Supreme Court of the Communist Party of China and a first-level justice, was announced to be dismissed on suspicion of serious violations of discipline and law.
Shen Deyong is the first minister-level senior official to be sacked this year, and the third vice president of the Supreme Court to be sacked. The first two vice presidents are Huang Songyou (sentenced to life imprisonment) and Xi Xiaoming (sentenced to life imprisonment).
There are at least three things to watch for Shen Deyong’s fall:
First, it is another blow to the “Jiangxi Gang” headed by Zeng Qinghong.
The most powerful senior official in Jiangxi province in Beijing is Zeng Qinghong, a former member of the Politburo Standing Committee and vice-chairman of the state. Zeng Qinghong is the general leader of the CCP’s “Jiangxi Gang”.
After Zeng Qinghong was transferred to Zhongnanhai in 1989 by Jiang Zemin, the then head of the Communist Party of China, he has been assisting Jiang Zemin at the highest level of the Communist Party, and successively served as Deputy Director of the General Office of the Central Committee, Director of the General Office of the Central Committee, Director of the Central Organization, Member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China, Vice President of the State, and Secretary of the Central Committee Secretary of the Division, President of the Central Party School, etc.
Because Zeng Qinghong has been in the power center at the highest level of the CCP for a long time, Zeng Qinghong has a great say in the appointment and removal of senior officials in his hometown Jiangxi Province and the appointment and removal of senior officials from Jiangxi.
From the perspective of Shen Deyong’s career, he is a high-ranking official from Jiangxi who was promoted and used by Zeng Qinghong. In 1998, when Zeng Qinghong was the director of the General Office of the Central Committee and Jiang Zemin’s “general manager”, Shen Deyong was transferred from Jiangxi to Beijing to serve as the vice president of the Supreme Court. Zhang Jingjing, the head of the Central Committee at that time, was not even a member of the Central Committee. Zeng Qinghong spoke, but Zhang Panorama didn’t dare not to execute it.
In November 2006, when Zeng Qinghong was a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China, Vice President of the State, and in charge of the Central Organization Department, Shen Deyong was transferred to the Standing Committee of the Shanghai Municipal Party Committee and Secretary of the Disciplinary Committee.
In April 2008, Shen Deyong was transferred to the executive vice president of the Supreme Court (minister level). This appointment should have been included in Zeng Qinghong’s overall consideration of the personnel arrangement of the 17th National Congress of the Communist Party of China and the personnel arrangement of the “one government and two houses” in 2008.
The reason why Shen Deyong was transferred to Shanghai was because Chen Liangyu, former secretary of the Shanghai Municipal Party Committee, was involved in the social security fund case. In order to ensure that the Chen Liangyu case would not spread to Jiang, Zeng, Jiang and Zeng needed someone they trusted to go to Shanghai. Zeng Qinghong, who was in charge of the central organization at that time, chose his fellow Jiangxi native Shen Deyong.
At that time, Wu Guanzheng, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China and secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, was an important member of the “Jiangxi Gang”, and Shen Deyong was also an important member of the “Jiangxi Gang”. Zeng Qinghong-Wu Guanzheng-Shen Deyong, three o’clock and one line, let them control the direction of Chen Liangyu’s case, so that Chen Liangyu’s case can be limited to their intended scope. In the end, the Chen Liangyu case did not endanger any high-ranking officials above the deputy national level.
Since Xi Jinping launched an anti-corruption campaign in 2013, the “Jiangxi Gang” headed by Zeng Qinghong has been purged several times. Su Rong, the former secretary of the Jiangxi Provincial Party Committee, and a group of high-ranking officials promoted by Zeng Qinghong were sacked.
On January 29, 2021, Xi Jinping authorities executed Lai Xiaomin, an important member of the “Jiangxi Gang” and former chairman of Huarong Group. Lai became the first deputy minister-level senior official to be executed for an economic crime since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China.
On March 21, 2022, Shen Deyong, an important member of the “Jiangxi Gang”, was announced to be sacked, which is the latest development in the fierce infighting between Xi Jinping and Zeng Qinghong.
Although the “Sun Lijun political gang” is named after Sun Lijun, the former deputy minister of the Ministry of Public Security, according to the report of the Central Disciplinary Committee on Sun Lijun’s issue, Sun Lijun’s crime is more serious than that of Zhou Yongkang, former member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China and secretary of the Political and Legal Committee of the Central Committee, and the former Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China. Members and vice-chairmen of the Central Military Commission Xu Caihou and Guo Boxiong are even more serious. This shows that the “Sun Lijun political gang” is a political gang composed of higher-level CCP officials.
Sun Lijun’s backstage boss is Meng Jianzhu, a former member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China and secretary of the Central Political and Legal Committee. Meng was promoted and reused by Zeng Qinghong, a former member of the Politburo Standing Committee and vice-chairman of the state, and Jiang Zemin, a former CCP dictator. Therefore, the so-called “Sun Lijun political gang” is likely to actually include Meng, Zeng, and Jiang.
Today, the members of the “Sun Lijun political gang” who have been investigated are: Sun Lijun, former deputy minister of the Ministry of Public Security, Gong Daoan, former deputy mayor and director of public security of Shanghai, Deng Huilin, former deputy mayor and director of public security of Chongqing, and former Shanxi Province. Vice Governor and Director of Public Security Liu Xinyun, former member of the Standing Committee of the Jiangsu Provincial Party Committee and Secretary of the Political and Legal Committee Wang Like.
The suspected members of the “Sun Lijun political gang” are: Fu Zhenghua, former Deputy Minister of Public Security and Minister of Justice (inspected), Liu Yanping, former Deputy Minister of Public Security and Secretary of the Disciplinary Committee of the Ministry of State Security (inspected), former Deputy Minister of Public Security and Deputy Secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection Liu Guojin (disappeared for a long time), Zeng Xin, former member of the Standing Committee of the Guangxi Autonomous Region and secretary of the Political and Legal Committee (dismissed), and Luo Wenjin, former director of criminal investigation of the Jiangsu Provincial Public Security Department (already sacked).
Shen Deyong has many interactions with Meng Jianzhu, who served as secretary of the Jiangxi Provincial Party Committee, and later served as Minister of Public Security, member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee, and Secretary of the Central Political and Legal Committee.
When Meng was secretary of the Jiangxi Provincial Party Committee, he may have taken care of Shen Deyong’s relatives and friends in Jiangxi, the then vice president of the Supreme Court. Meng has served as Minister of Public Security for five years and has a direct working relationship with Shen Deyong, who has successively served as Secretary of the Shanghai Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection and Executive Vice President of the Supreme Court. Meng served as a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China and secretary of the Central Political and Legal Committee for five years, and was Shen Deyong’s immediate boss.
If it is said that the “Sun Lijun political gang” actually includes Meng, Zeng and Jiang, Shen Deyong is also a member of the “Sun Lijun political gang”.
Now, Shen Deyong’s investigation can be regarded as another blow to the “Sun Lijun political gang”.
Third, it is another blow to Zhou Qiang, President of the Supreme Court.
Zhou Qiang, who has served as President of the Supreme Court since 2013, has been hit hard many times for his actions such as taking human life seriously.
On July 12, 2013, Zhou Qiang killed Zeng Chengjie, a private entrepreneur in Hunan. The next day, on July 13, Wang Shaoguang, Zeng Chengjie’s lawyer, posted an emergency statement online, saying, “Sentencing Zeng Chengjie to death is a matter of robbery on the road and killing him for money.” Wang Shaoguang said his statement was “willing to take legal responsibility for any falsehood”. So far, lawyer Wang Shaoguang has not been investigated for any legal responsibility for this emergency declaration that has been spread all over the world. The statement of lawyer Wang Shaoguang is obviously credible.
On January 14, 2017, at the National Conference of High Court Presidents, Zhou Qiang demanded that courts at all levels resolutely resist Western “judicial independence”. On January 19, jurist He Weifang and others denounced Zhou Qiang for “disastrous the country and the people”, and jointly issued a “letter urging Zhou Qiang to resign”. Immediately after, more than 800 people signed the “Chinese Citizens Supervision Proposal”, scolding Zhou Qiang for being “chief legal illiterate”, he holds the titles of president and chief justice of the Supreme Court, “not only a shame for the Chinese courts and judicial organs, but also a disgrace to the Chinese courts and judicial organs. A disgrace to the entire country,” calling for Zhou Qiang’s dismissal.
At the end of 2018 and the beginning of 2019, Supreme Court Judge Wang Linqing, together with the famous former CCTV host Cui Yongyuan, publicly exposed Zhou Qiang, President of the Supreme Court, on the “Shaanxi 100 Billion Mineral Rights Case” on the Internet strictly controlled by the CCP for more than 50 days. The serious illegal acts caused a sensation at home and abroad.
By June 2018, Shen Deyong had served as deputy to Supreme Court President Zhou Qiang for five years. It can be expected that Shen Deyong’s corruption problem will definitely include these five years. Among them, there may be a common corruption problem between him and Zhou Qiang. Even if not, Zhou has a major leadership responsibility for Shen’s corruption problem.
The 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China will be held in the second half of 2022. Overseas media with backgrounds of Jiang Zemin and Zeng Qinghong have published articles to sing praises for Zhou Qiang, saying that Zhou Qiang may take over as secretary of the Central Political and Legal Committee.
On the eve of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, Shen Deyong, his deputy who had been with Zhou Qiang for five years, was suddenly announced to be sacked, which was undoubtedly another blow to Zhou Qiang.
Epilogue
Shen Deyong’s sack is part of the political and legal purge that Xi Jinping has launched since 2020. The purpose is to take the political and legal power (knife handle) that has long been in the hands of Jiang and Zeng into his own hands.
Next, there will be more infighting among the top CCP leaders over the candidates for the new Secretary of the Central Political and Legal Committee, President of the Supreme Court, President of the Supreme Procuratorate, and Minister of Public Security.
However, it remains to be seen whether Xi can take control of the political and legal power after the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China.
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Responsible editor: Gao Yi