Henan lawmaker caught out in intimate photo scandal
PUBLISHED : Monday, 17 February, 2014, 12:17pm
UPDATED : Monday, 17 February, 2014, 1:36pm
Wu Nan [email protected]
Li Shanshan, published intimate photos of herself with Luo Zhiyuan, the Henan Provincial People’s Congress deputy on her weibo account. Photo: Screenshot from Li Shanshan’s weibo
Just prior to the opening of the National People’s Congress, photos have leaked online indicating a possible sex scandal involving a Henan Provincial People’s Congress deputy in central China.
Li Shanshan, a young woman who claims to be the mistress of Luo Zhiyuan, a deputy of the Henan Provincial People’s Congress, posted photos of herself and Luo on her weibo account, The Beijing News reported on Monday.
Li claimed that Luo had been having an affair with her, had abandoned his daughter by her, and had illicitly used connections to obtain his deputy qualification, the newspaper reported.
There have been increasing numbers of online postings exposing corruption and sex scandals involving officials since China’s anti-corruption campaign was initiated when President Xi Jingping took office. One notable example was that of Chongqing district party chief Lei Zhengfu, who in 2012 was fired and then imprisoned for 13 years after a video showing him having sex with a young woman was leaked online.
Li Shanshan claimed that Luo, who is also a top local entrepreneur and the CEO of Henan Zhiyuan Food Group, had split up with her and refused to pay child support for their daughter. After they had failed to reach an agreement following court, she then decided to expose him online.
The photo she posted shows the two lying on a bed together, with Luo holding an infant that Li identified as their daughter. She also published a screenshot of a mobile text message that appeared to be a warning from Luo.
“I had to go through many connections to win my People’s Congress deputy post. If it is ruined, you will know what to do!” the message said.
Beijing News reported that Luo denied writing the text message, saying that it was Li’s way of attempting to blackmail him.
Staff at Henan Provincial People’s Congress said they had started investigating the incident.
