Alleged gang godmother, corrupt police on stand

CHONGQING: Twenty-two people, including Xie Caiping, a woman said to be the city's only female gang boss, and two police officers accused of protecting her organization went on trial yesterday in this southwestern city following a crime sweep.

The trial in Chongqing's No 5 Intermediate People's Court was the fourth such proceeding to start since Monday. The trials began after investigations into 14 mafia-style gangs in the city.

No verdict has been reached as yet in any of the trials.

Xie, 46, from the city's Ba'nan district, faces charges of organizing and leading a gang, running illegal gambling dens, harboring people taking illegal narcotics, illegal imprisonment and bribing officials.

The indictment claims Xie put together a gang of 20 mobsters and ex-convicts and established 20 illegal casinos, which generated more than 2 million yuan ($294,000) in illegal gains before the operation was torn down in August 2008.

Local prosecutors also accused the former chief of the city's Huangnibang police station, Guo Sheng, and police officer Gan Yong of protecting Xie's gang in return for bribes.

The indictment says Xie gave the duo 180,000 yuan in exchange for protection.

The other 19 people on trial are accused of participating in a mafia-style gang, running illegal gambling dens and harboring people taking illegal narcotics.

Xie did not deny yesterday that she had set up and run gambling dens and that she had once assaulted and detained a police officer. She said she mistook the officer for a "thief from inside".

But she did deny charges of organizing and leading the gang, saying "regulations" she set were just "game rules" rather than "rules of the gang".

In addition, she said no "salary" was paid to gangsters.

Xie often used expletives as she spoke in court.