Shanghai judges sacked over prostitution scandal

SHANGHAI - The municipal legislature of Shanghai decided on Thursday to sack four senior judges from the city's higher court over their alleged hiring of prostitutes at a nightclub.

Chen Xueming, was sacked by the Standing Committee of Shanghai Municipal People's Congress, from his posts as a member of the Shanghai Municipal Higher People's Court's judicial committee, chief of No 1 civil court and judge.

Zhao Minghua was dismissed from his posts as deputy chief of the No 1 civil court and judge. Ni Zhengwen was fired from his post as judge of the higher court.

The legislative session also approved the removal of Wang Guojun from his posts as deputy chief of the higher court's No 5 civil court and judge.

The four had all served the city's higher court. They were placed under official scrutiny after a netizen released video footage that appears to show them soliciting prostitutes at the Hengshan Resort in Shanghai on the night of June 9.

Investigators found the four, along with a manager at a state-owned company in Shanghai, spent a night in the resort's nightclub where they allegedly hired prostitutes.

Zhao, Chen and Ni have been also expelled from the Communist Party of China (CPC) while Wang was placed under a two-year probation within the Party. The company manager, Guo Xianghua, was also sacked and expelled from the CPC.

Yin Yicui, chairwoman of the Standing Committee of the Shanghai Municipal People's Congress, on Thursday demanded strict administration and supervision of staff in the city's court system to resolutely clean out corrupt officials.

Cui Yadong, acting president of the municipal higher court, urged that lessons be learned from the scandal and called for "zero tolerance" toward any undiscipline or law violations.

The Supreme People's Court (SPC) on Wednesday said the four court officials have tarred the image of the nation's judges and scarred judicial credibility.

The SPC ordered courts across the country to fight corruption and eliminate black sheep so that there are no similar events in future.