Court hearing begins on gang-related charges of former lawmaker
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The court hearing on gang-related charges against a former municipal lawmaker began Monday in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality.
Wang Neng, former deputy to the Chongqing Municipal People's Congress, is standing trial and accused of organizing and leading a criminal gang, forcing others into doing business with him, intentionally injuring people, bribery and blackmail, said prosecutors.
Wang was accused of monopolizing the cloth transportation route between Heqiao Town, Shaoxing County in eastern province of Zhejiang, to Chaotianmen Market in Yuzhong district in Chongqing through a transportation company he set up in May 1995.
Since 1997, Wang and ten others, including Wu Fuping, Wang Tongqing, and Xia Dejun, allegedly used threats and violence to force local cloth dealers into hiring Wang's transportation services, prosecutors said.
Wang and his group allegedly earned 10 million yuan (1.54 million U.S. dollars) and caused one person to be seriously hurt, and three others slightly injured, in their gang-like activities, prosecutors said.
Prosecutors accused Wang of leading the gang, along with Wang Tongqing, Xia Dejun and Zhang Ya as key members, and seven others as participants.
