Official jailed for pre-Olympic mine disaster cover-up: press

Li Hongxing, a county head in Hebei province, was convicted of “abuse of powers” for ordering a local mine to pay 2.6 million yuan (US$380,000) in hush money to up to 10 journalists, the Beijing Youth Daily said.

The July 14, 2008 accident in Yi county killed 34 miners and was covered up in an apparent bid to spare China embarrassment in the run-up to the Olympic Games, previous media reports said.

After a Cabinet-level inquiry into the cover up, state prosecutors brought charges against 48 government and mining officials in Yi county and 10 journalists, the reports said.

Officials at the Hebei court where the trial took place were unavailable to comment on the case on Sunday.

More trials are expected soon, the Beijing Youth Daily said.

Li was also convicted of accepting 570,000 yuan in bribes as head of Yi county from 2003 to 2008, it said.

He was sentenced to a total of 13 years in prison, including two years for the “abuse of power” charges and 12 years for the bribery charges, the Beijing Youth Daily said, citing the court verdict.

Li plans to appeal the verdict, it added.

The identities of the journalists have not been revealed.

Yi county is about 80 kilometers (50 miles) west of Beijing.

Relatives of the dead miners were also given money and threatened to keep them quiet, earlier reports said.

Over 3,200 miners were killed in China's mines in 2008, according to official figures, but workers' rights groups say the number is much higher as accidents routinely are covered up to avoid costly mine shutdowns and fines.

China's coal mines are among the most dangerous in the world, with safety often ignored in the quest for profits and a drive to meet surging demand for coal, the source of about 70 percent of China's energy.

On Nov. 21, 108 miners were killed in a gas explosion at a coal mine in Heilongjiang province in northeastern China.

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