Chapter 307: A Big Case
"Comrade Zhiming, tell me what you think?" After seeing off Sha Ruijin and his group, Qi Tongwei asked Chen Zhiming.
Chen Zhiming frowned, pondered for a moment and then said: "From what we know so far, the corruption in the grain system of Zhongjiang Province is not an isolated case, but a systematic corruption, or even a large-scale corruption.
We cannot just hold on to this incident and should first observe the attitude of the Zhongjiang Provincial Party Committee towards its subsequent handling of this matter.
Then we will decide our next steps based on their actions.”
After hearing this, Qi Tongwei nodded slightly to show his agreement.
Then, he said in a firm tone: “Okay, let’s do as you say.
However, when we make the final inspection summary report, we still have to report this matter objectively and truthfully.
Although I can’t do anything to Sha Ruijin and others, it’s good to reduce the leader’s favorability towards him.”
Chen Zhiming nodded and replied, "Just do as you say."
Chen Zhiming was very clear that in today's Internet society, information spread very quickly, and it was almost impossible to conceal this matter.
Moreover, the fact that he was detained by corrupt elements is a fact that cannot be concealed.
As the saying goes, good news doesn't travel far, but bad news travels a thousand miles. This incident spread quickly, and even Pei Yihong and others who were far away in the imperial capital knew about it and called them.
"Tongwei, has your inspection team been detained?" Pei Yihong asked straight to the point after he got through the call.
Qi Tongwei smiled and said, "Dad, how did you know this?"
"An old cadre found the old man at home and said that Sha Ruijin was at a critical moment and asked you not to make him the protagonist when reporting and to downplay his problems," Pei Yihong explained.
Qi Tongwei understood as soon as he heard it. This must be Sha Ruijin's backer.
According to the rumor spread by Chen Yanshi in his previous life, there were 16 people in their spearhead squad, 9 of them died and 7 were injured.
Squad leader Sha Zhenjiang died and left no descendants, so the remaining seven people found Sha Ruijin from his hometown and asked him to recognize Sha Zhenjiang as his father.
The person looking for my second grandfather should be someone among these seven people, but it definitely won’t be Chen Yanshi.
These thoughts flashed through his mind, and Qi Tongwei asked casually: "Is this person of high status?"
Pei Yihong smiled, shook his head and said, "This has nothing to do with status. He is a comrade-in-arms of Sha Ruijin's father. They are both heroes, so we should give him some respect."
"Okay, I understand." Although some old comrades may not be high-ranking officials, they still have extensive connections and the necessary face should be given to them.
Then, he continued to ask: "What if the investigation leads to Sha Ruijin?"
Pei Yihong paused for a moment, then said, "Deal with it as it should be, and Sha Ruijin is no exception."
Sha Ruijin's background is still far behind that of the Pei family.
Then the two began to exchange some ideas about work.
On the other hand, Qiang Yongchun and Hu Shengxiang began to discuss how to deal with the case of corruption in the food system.
"Secretary Qiang, my suggestion is that all the procuratorial systems in the province should act together to conduct surprise inspections on all the granaries and catch them off guard." Hu Shengxiang put forward his own solution.
"This is indeed a good idea. It can quickly determine which granaries are empty." Qiang Yongchun nodded in approval.
The two then analyzed the possible problems and loopholes that might arise in the operation and how to make up for them.
After the discussion, Qiang Yongchun directed the provincial procuratorial system to take unified action at the same time and inspect all grain depots through a video conference the next morning.
Although there were some bad elements in the prosecution system who leaked the news, it did not affect the overall situation.
"Okay, I understand." After listening to the report, Hu Shengxiang slumped down in his chair.
This time it's really a reveal. More than half of the grain depots in Zhongjiang Province are not full, less than half of the reported amount.
This case is likely to cause a stir across the country, not just in Zhongjiang Province.
He knew that there was corruption in the food system and that it was a serious problem, but he really didn't expect it to be so serious. This was no longer something he could handle.
Rubbing his swollen head, Hu Shengxiang called the driver to go directly to find Qiang Yongchun.
"Old Hu, are you telling the truth?" Qiang Yongchun asked hopefully.
Hu Shengxiang nodded heavily, confirming the answer.
"This is a big trouble. It will be hard for us in Zhongjiang not to be famous. It will not be easy to pass the test of Governor Sha!" Qiang Yongchun said in embarrassment.
The key point is that it is too late to conceal it now. Everyone in the province’s anti-corruption system has seen it and reported the real data.
"Forget it, let's go see Governor Sha and handle it according to his advice." Qiang Yongchun said gritting his teeth, thinking that if he stuck his head out, he would be in danger as well.
When the two came to see Sha Ruijin, he was studying how to attract investment.
"The results are out. What's the situation?" Sha Ruijin asked, putting down the work at hand.
Qiang Yongchun and Hu Shengxiang looked at each other, and finally Qiang Yongchun made the report. When Sha Ruijin heard that more than half of the grain warehouses in Zhongjiang were empty, he almost crushed the pen in his hand.
Sha Ruijin thought he had heard it wrong: "Can you say it again?"
Qiang Yongchun whispered, "After a surprise inspection, more than half of our grain warehouses in Zhongjiang are empty. The initial estimate differs from the actual inventory by more than 3000 million tons."
"More than 3000 million tons?" Sha Ruijin was confused. According to 3000 million tons, there must be 600 billion jin. If one jin is calculated at 1 yuan, there must be 600 billion.
"Is there any mistake in the calculation?" Sha Ruijin asked unwillingly.
"Just more, no less." Hu Shengxiang replied with his head down.
Sha Ruijin stared at the two men intently. He really didn't know whether they were deliberately going against him. He was also considered a veteran in politics, so how could he not understand the current situation.
If this were reported, although the main leadership responsibility lies with the provincial party secretary Li Xijun, his image as the governor would not be good.
The key point is that he dare not hide it. Who knows whether this data has reached Qi Tongwei's desk.
If Sha Ruijin ordered to conceal some data, but Qi Tongwei obtained the real data, it would not only be a problem of bad image, but also the end of his term as governor.
"Write a report and send it to the inspection team. At the same time, keep the relevant personnel under control and wait for their instructions." Sha Ruijin knew that the case had developed to this extent and was no longer under the control of Zhongjiang Province.
Qiang Yongchun and Hu Shengxiang both breathed a sigh of relief when they heard this.
They were really afraid that Sha Ruijin would force them to conceal the truth, which would be a real problem. Now the impact on them is relatively small, and they might even be valued by the Supreme People's Procuratorate.
The report arrived on Qi Tongwei's desk that evening.
Qi Tongwei was also shocked by the number. It's not that he had never seen the world, but he had never expected to encounter a corruption case worth tens of billions.
Compared with these big tigers, what I did in my previous life was not even as good as a younger brother.
Qi Tongwei did not dare to slack off and quickly called Sha Ruijin.
"Governor Sha, I'm Qi Tongwei, the situation is urgent! I'm going to report to the central government right away.
I hope you can immediately arrange deployment to guard important transportation nodes such as airports, train stations and highways, and make sure no one can escape abroad."
Qi Tongwei did not mention the specific consequences, but he firmly believed that Sha Ruijin would understand the interests involved.
After all, if someone successfully flees abroad, Sha Ruijin, as the temporary host, will face tremendous pressure.
Sha Ruijin was of course aware of the seriousness of the matter, and he responded without hesitation: "Don't worry, Team Leader Qi, I will arrange it right away."
Qi Tongwei felt slightly relieved after hearing Sha Ruijin's answer.
But he knew that time was pressing, the task was arduous, and any negligence could lead to irreversible consequences.
So, he continued, "I will rush back to Beijing tonight to report on my work. I expect to get the latest news tomorrow morning. Please notify the public security, procuratorate, discipline inspection commission and other relevant departments to remain on high alert and be ready to act at any time."
After hanging up the phone, Qi Tongwei rushed to the airport without stopping.
This corruption case involving tens of billions of dollars is the largest case since the founding of the People's Republic of China. For such a large case, no matter how cautious we are, it cannot be excessive.