Hainan (China): Zhang Qi, 58. was a top official in the Chinese Province of Hainan and until he was discovered a few days ago, he was also much richer than Jack Ma, who with assets over USD 37 Billion, was at present the wealthiest man in China.
In addition to several luxurious villas, anti-corruption Inspectors found 13.5 MT Gold in bars and Bricks and 268 Billion Yuan (37 Billion USD, equal to the total wealth of China’s richest man) in bank accounts.
He was the Secretary of the Communist Party of Haikou, provincial capital city Hainan, with a population of nine million people and a Member of the Standing Committee of Hainan Province.
Stripped of his titles, he is now under inspection and investigation by the country’s corruption watchdog.
Zhang is the 17th senior official investigated for corruption in China this year.
While the true record holder for disproportionate assets may never be known, Zhang Qi would surely have been a serious contender for the title.
