China’s corruption watchdog takes down self-styled Mao-tai liquor mogul who went into business for himself
- Wang Xiaoguang accumulated so many bottles of the fiery spirit while on Communist Party business he opened shops and employed relatives to sell it
A former vice-governor of Guizhou province accumulated so many bottles of Mao-tai liquor through his official duties that he became a wine seller and ran four trading companies to turn them into cash, anti-corruption officials said.
His wife had to pour away “hundreds of bottles of expensive Chinese baijiu”, the spirit distilled from sorghum, wheat or rice, before the agency closed in, Anti-Corruption Watch, published by Sichuan Daily, revealed on Saturday.
Wang Xiaoguang was a former member of the Communist Party’s standing committee in Guizhou and vice-governor. He made headlines on April 1 by becoming the first “tiger” taken down by the National Supervisory Commission, China’s highest anti-corruption authority which was established in the autumn of 2017.
He was kicked out of the party in September and prosecuted in Chongqing two months later. According to the commission, Wang was accused of “indulging in luxury banquets” and “living extravagantly”.
In November, Xinhua, China’s state news agency, reported that Wang had been charged with taking bribes, embezzlement and insider trading.
