Mar 26, 2012
Translated by Song Chunling



The retrial of a criminal case involving three individuals charged with supplying sub-standard insulation material for the construction of a section of the iconic headquarters of China's state-owned television network began in Beijing on Tuesday morning.

The three men, employees of Zhongshan Shengxing Co. Ltd (中山盛兴股份有限公司), were originally sentenced to prison terms ranging from two and half years to four and half years by Beijing's No. 2 Intermediate People’s Court. These sentences were upheld on appeal by Beijing Higher People’s Court in March 2010.

However, according to a report by the Xinhua News Agency, the Supreme Court ordered for the case to be returned to Beijing's No. 2 Intermediate People’s Court for a retrial.
 
The case is directly related to the fire that engulfed a section of the new CCTV headquarters in early 2009. An investigation by China's State Council found that the fire was caused by an illegal fireworks display organized by the employees of CCTV.

The report also estimated that the economic losses caused by the fire at 160 million yuan. A 27-year-old firefighter was also killed in the blaze and eight others were injured. 

Aside from the three employees of Zhongshan Shengxing, 20 others were also sentenced to jail terms of between three to seven years in relation to the fire and many others received administrative punishment.

Three individuals from the company that supplied the insulation material for the construction project - the deputy president, Tang Zhuchuang (唐珠创), along with the executive manager of the project department and a quality inspector, have been charged with violating the law of selling inferior products. 

According to reports, the construction company claimed that the insulation panels it used in the construction of the Television Cultural Center (TVCC) were of a "B2 standard". However, after the fire, investigations revealed that the panels were not of the required standard.
 
The Xinhua report says that China's Supreme Court called for a retrial as it was "a serious case with large implications."

No new verdict has been announced.
 
Links and Sources:
XinhuaNet: 央视起火大楼幕墙施工方"销售伪劣产品案"重审