Five stand trial for deadly 2010 Shanghai fire
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Xinhua, July 18, 2011
Five people stood trial on Monday for their roles in a high-rise building fire that left 58 people dead and 71 others injured in Shanghai last year.
Four former government officials in Shanghai, including Gao Weizhong, Yao Yaming, Zhou Jianmin and Zhang Quan, were charged with abuse of authority, according to a statement issued by the No. 2 Intermediate People's Court of Shanghai Municipality.
The four defendants previously worked in the construction and transport committee of Jing'an district, where the blaze occurred. Gao and Yao respectively served as the head and deputy head of the committee, said the statement.
Gao, Zhou, Zhang and Feng Wei, who was the legal representative of the business department of Shanghai Tianyi Building Materials Co,. Ltd, were also charged with accepting bribes, it said.
No verdicts were given on Monday. The court will begin hearing the cases of 21 others in connection with the deadly fire.
In addition to the 26 suspects, another 28 people, including Vice Mayor Shen Jun, have received administrative penalties or demerits in line with the disciplinary policies of the Communist Party of China (CPC), the city government said last month.
The fire gutted a 28-story apartment building on Jiaozhou Road in November. The building was under renovation at the time. The blaze was started by sparks from welding torches, which ignited nylon netting and scaffolding.
