In a recent report published by China’s Nanfang People Weekly (or Nanfang Renwu Zhoukan), mistresses of corrupt officials were found least subject to legal punishment.
The report investigates 41 corrupted officials at the ranking of governorship in the Communist Party, Government, People’s Congress, Political Consultative Conference, and Judiciary Branch, spanning from 1998 to 2008. The sources used are public information from the court system and media interviews with the defense lawyers and family members of the officials.
36 out of the 41 investigated have at least one mistress. These officials aged 62 on average at the time of being prosecuted, with their legal spouses around 60. The mistresses are on average 11 years younger than the spouses, while the largest age difference being over 30. After a comparative study, the report concludes that the motives of possessing mistresses have shifted from seeking sexual pleasure toward mutual benefits. The special group of mistresses of high officials are de facto playing the role of money managers.
However, the mistresses are more or less risk free from among the group of investigated, as only 8 out of the 36 were put on trial and 5 convicted, shows the report.
Source: Radio Free Asia, November 11, 2008
http://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/fubai-11112008110523.html