Society

Three on trial for tax office blast in central China

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-11-26 19:53

CHANGSHA - Three men stood on trial Friday in relation to a tax office explosion in central China that left four dead and 20 injured, a local court said.

Liu Zhuiheng, 51, was accused of detonating a bomb on the third floor of a tax office in Dongtundu, Changsha, capital of Hunan Province, on July 30, said the intermediate people's court in Changsha.

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Liu was captured on August 8 in Quanzhou County in southern Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, some 500 kilometers south of Changsha.

Prosecutors said Liu made losses from his hardware business in Changsha because of bad management, but bore a grudge against a wholesaler surnamed Chen and his banker friend surnamed Peng.

Liu sought compensation from Chen and Peng believing that he was edged out of business after the wholesaler copied his business model, but the attempt failed, prosecutors said.

Liu then sought compensation from Peng's son, Peng Tao, who worked at the Dongtundu tax office. However, after failing to win compensation from Peng Tao, Liu detonated a bomb killing him, prosecutors noted.

Liu allegedly detonated the bomb on the afternoon of July 30. Peng Tao and another were killed at the scene and another two died later in hospital. The explosion also injured 20 others, including three critically.

Liu Jian and Li Xiao were also on trial as Liu Jian was charged with buying explosives from Li and selling them to Liu Zhuiheng.

The court said it would announce the verdict on another day as the judicial committee needed to hold discussions after the court hearing.