Chen Xitong, former Beijing Communist Party Secretary, gives a speech at Beijing's Great Hall of the People in 1993.
The former mayor and Communist Party boss of Beijing during the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests, Chen Xitong was handed a 16-year prison sentence on charges of corruption and dereliction of duty. In the early 1990s when Beijing was preparing to bid for the 2000 Olympics, Chen sought to modernize the city and rumors circulated that he was demanding heavy bribes in exchange for construction contracts. He was ousted from power in 1995 and imprisoned in 1998. An official Communist Party report said that Chen had funneled money overseas to start business ventures. He was involved in financial schemes totaling up to $2 billion, and had a reputation for throwing lavish parties for his mistresses. He had apparently given a girlfriend and her family a total of nine apartments in Beijing. The report said Chen had “accepted and embezzled a large number of valuable items, and had squandered a large amount of public funds to support a corrupt and decadent life.” He was released on medical parole in 2006 and died of cancer this June.