Cleared of Crime

(XIANG MINGCHAO)

Zhao Zuohai, who spent almost 10 years in jail for alleged murder, has been acquitted after the alleged victim returned home in central China's Henan Province, according to the local Higher People's Court on May 8.

State compensation procedure has started and a probe into the erroneous conviction is under way, a court statement said.

In October 1997, Zhao Zuohai, now 57, and his neighbor Zhao Zhenshang had a fight at their home village, after which Zhao Zhenshang went missing.

In May 1999, a headless and extremely decomposed body was found in the village and it was believed to be Zhao Zhenshang's. Zhao Zuohai was arrested as the murder suspect and sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve on charges of murdering Zhao Zhenshang in 2002. The sentence was later commuted to 29 years of imprisonment.

But Zhao Zhenshang returned to the village on April 30 after 13 years. The Higher People's Court of Henan Province confirmed Zhao Zhenshang's identity on May 7 and acquitted Zhao Zuohai later.

A spokesman for the local police authorities said an investigation had been launched into Zhao Zuohai's accusations of being forced to confess by police torture.

Ban for Doping

(XINHUA)

Olympic champion judoka Tong Wen, who claimed the women's 78 kg title at the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008 and three successive gold medals at the world championships, has been banned for two years for doping.

The decision was made by the International Judo Federation in Tunis on May 7. Tong, 27, failed the doping test last August at the world championships in the Netherlands.

"The banned substance Tong took is clebruterol that has the function of blood vessel dilatation in medical treatment. But clebruterol overdose can boost muscle, like an anabolic steroid," said Zhao Jian, Deputy Director of the China Anti-Doping Agency.

"Clebruterol is not an advanced anabolic steroid and it is very easy to test for it. We had tested Tong last year before she went to the Netherlands but found nothing then," he said.

Tong has attributed the doping offence to food containing the banned substance and said she hoped to defend her Olympic title in London in 2012.

Jailed for Corruption

(NEWSPHOTO)

Zhu Zhigang, former vice finance minister, was sentenced to life imprisonment for taking bribes on May 10.

The Xinyang Intermediate People's Court in central Henan Province ruled Zhu abused his position to advantage others financially and took bribes totaling more than 7.44 million yuan ($1.09 million) when he served as assistant finance minister and vice finance minister from January 2000 to March 2008.

Zhu, 60, was director of the Budgetary Affairs Commission of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature, and vice chairman of the NPC Financial and Economic Affairs Committee before he was arrested.

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