Han Ximin, Fu Yingqing

    CHEN XUMING, former deputy chief of the Longgang District Public Security Subbureau, stood trial Friday on charges of negligence of duty and taking bribes following a nightclub fire that killed 44 in September.

    Chen admitted taking bribes of 60,000 yuan (US$8,779) from Wang Jing, owner of the unlicensed Dance King nightclub, but denied the charge of negligence of duty at the hearing of the Yantian District People’s Court.

    During the four-hour hearing, Chen denied he provided protection for the Dance King club. But the city’s procuratorate said Chen had turned a blind eye when his subordinates handed him a list of nightclubs — including Dance King — that had been involved in illegal activities such as prostitution and drug dealing.

    Chen was in charge of monitoring entertainment venues in the district. But during his tenure as the chief of a task force handling illegal activities in nightclubs in 2007 and 2008, he was found to have been seriously irresponsible, allowing 144 nightclubs to operate unlicensed, the procuratorate said. His negligence of duty led to disorder at Dance King, which reportedly had been the scene of 24 cases of robbery, assault, rape, prostitution and drug dealing during its one-year unlicensed operation beginning Sept. 8, 2007.

    Chen argued during the court hearing that the nightclubs were managed by local police stations. The Tongle Police Station, which administers the Dance King club, hid the truth about the club until the fatal fire broke out, he said.

    In addition, Chen said police could only investigate criminal and civil offenses and didn’t have the authority to close nightclubs.

    Chen was detained Sept. 29, one week after the fatal fire at Dance King, and arrested Oct. 9.

    The court’s verdict is pending.