{"id":43074,"date":"2009-08-03T10:29:34","date_gmt":"2009-08-03T17:29:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/chinadigitaltimes.net\/?p=43074"},"modified":"2009-08-03T20:25:31","modified_gmt":"2009-08-04T03:25:31","slug":"namibians-say-inquiry-on-china-will-expand","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chinadigitaltimes.net\/2009\/08\/namibians-say-inquiry-on-china-will-expand\/","title":{"rendered":"Namibians Say Inquiry on China Will Expand"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/a>From the New York Times:<\/a><\/p>\n Namibian prosecutors investigating allegations of kickbacks on government contracts with China have expanded their inquiry to include a Chinese contract to build a key railroad link, investigators said Friday, indicating that they suspect a pattern of corruption on deals with China.<\/p>\n Earlier allegationsof bribery involving a contract to supply Namibia with scanners at security checkpoints raised alarms in both Namibia and China because the company that makes the scanners, Beijing-based Nuctech Company Limited, was headed until late last year by the son of Hu Jintao, China\u2019s president. Although there is no suggestion that President Hu\u2019s son, Hu Haifeng, knew of the Namibian dealings, Chinese government censors have blocked China\u2019s Internet users from reading or searching for any reference to the case.<\/p>\n Investigators have said they want to question Mr. Hu as a witness, not a suspect, in the case. Hu Haifeng was Nuctech\u2019s president when the $55.3 million contract to supply the scanners was signed in May 2008, according to the company. He had been promoted to the position of Communist Party secretary of Tsinghua Holdings, which runs Nuctech and about 30 other businesses, by early this year, when Nuctech is accused of having paid $4.2 million in kickbacks to a Namibian front company.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n