China executes smugglers

China has executed seven men who were convicted in the nation's largest corruption scandal.

The men were executed in three separate cities after a court in the eastern province of Fujian rejected their appeals, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

They were among 11 people sentenced to death in November following the first round of convictions in the smuggling and bribery case, believed to have implicated top national and Communist Party officials.

China has sentenced several officials to death

Among those executed on Friday was bank manager Ye Jishen, convicted of accepting 2.9 million yuan ($349,000) in bribes and having 4.9 million yuan in unaccounted funds.

Also executed was Wu Yubo, a top customs official in Xiamen, the port city at the centre of the scandal. He was convicted of receiving 8.7 million yuan ($1m) in bribes.

The reports did not say how they were executed, but China usually puts criminals to death by gunshot.

Corruption crackdown

The government has punished thousands of lower level officials in anti-graft campaigns designed to quell growing public anger over the rampant level of official corruption.

China's economy has raised smuggling opportunities

A deputy provincial governor and a deputy chairman of China's legislature were executed last year - the highest-ranking officials to die for corruption since the party came to power 51 years ago.

Courts in Fujian district are still hearing appeals filed by four others sentenced to death in the huge Yuanhua smuggling scandal.

They include

• Xiamen deputy mayor Lan Fu
• city customs chief Yang Qianxian
• Fujian's deputy head of public security, Zhuang Rushun.

Lost import duties from the smuggling in Xiamen of cars, oil cigarettes and other goods are estimated to have cost China's treasury $3.6bn.

More to come

Few details have leaked from the investigations and trials, which have been conducted entirely in secrecy.

As in earlier reports, Xinhua made no reference to the former head of military intelligence, said by Communist Party insiders to have fallen in the scandal.

China's top police official in charge of fighting smuggling is also in custody and is expected to be tried soon.

Fujian courts have so far convicted 84 people of involvement with the Yuanhua smuggling operation. Other trials have concluded although court officials have not said when sentences will be announced.

High trade barriers, set up to protect Chinese state industries, keep import prices artificially high, making smuggling lucrative.