Former top Chinese cop charged with murder

A former regional police chief in China has been indicted with murder and multiple other offences, the country's top prosecution agency said, with his victim reportedly a girlfriend more than three decades his junior.

Zhao Liping, 64, has been charged with murder, bribery and possession of firearms and explosives, the Supreme People's Procuratorate said in a statement.

Zhao headed the police in Inner Mongolia for seven years until he retired in 2012, and was also a deputy head of the northern region's government.

He was detained last year in Chifeng on suspicion of killing a 28-year-old woman with whom he "had an intimate relationship" because she wanted to expose his wrongdoings, Chinese media said earlier.

The woman reportedly survived Zhao's first two shots and fled before he chased her down in a car and shot her in the head.

Many fallen Chinese officials have been found to have mistresses, and corruption investigations have often been triggered by allegations from spurned or angry women.

Liu Tienan, a former top Chinese economic planning official, was convicted of bribery and jailed for life after his mistress gave incriminating information to a journalist who posted online her accusations of shady business deals, fake academic credentials and death threats.

The Supreme People's Procuratorate said in a statement Wednesday that Zhao was suspected of "intentionally causing the death of one person" and "taking advantage of his position as head of the Inner Mongolia police to seek gains for and illegally accepted enormous amount of money from others".

He also kept guns, ammunition and explosives in violation of the law, it said.

Source: AFP