February 20, 2009
A government official in Yiwu, Zhejiang Province, was recently arrested on the charge of taking bribes. The evidence held against him was not bundles of cash, but 200,000 yuan worth of redeemable cigarette vouchers. According to the Qianjiang Evening News, the vouchers have become a hot item and an ideal choice for paying bribes in the city.
A boss of a local factory told the newspaper, “If you want to get business done, the best gift is cigarette voucher. You can’t just give them cash out of your pocket. That can be risky, so they won’t take it. It would be much more natural if you gave them cigarette vouchers. Just some cigarettes, right? Not that big a deal.”
The newspaper reporter learnt from the owner of a cigarette store that most voucher buyers are business people. “Soft-packaged Zhonghua-brand cigarettes sell for 800 yuan a carton, and you need to pay an extra 50 yuan if you want a refund.” When the reporter asked to buy ten cartons of Zhonghua cigarettes, the store owner said that he did not have that many in stock.
The article reported that Yiwu has organized experts to assess the legal basis of vouchers. They found that the China’s currency laws ban organizations and individuals from printing and releasing vouchers that can function like money. The cigarette vouchers, which are not government-issued, may therefore be illegal.
Also on the front page today is a large image illustrating a report about a university student whose family couldn’t put up enough money to pay this year’s tuition. Ultimately the student decided to collect five tons of tangerines from his family, which farms the fruit. The newspaper urges readers to buy the tangerines to help him make enough for his tuition.
- Qianjiang Evening News (Chinese): Cigarette voucher, the ticket that leads to corruption