New allegations against wristwatch mayor sent to Beijing

The Sina Weibo user who posted photos showing the mayor of Lanzhou, Gansu Province, wearing expensive wristwatches said Sunday he has sent new evidence of corruption to the Central Commission for Disciplinary Inspection after the provincial government dismissed his corruption accusation against the mayor.

The netizen, Zhou Lubao, who is a former army reporter from Lanzhou, told the Global Times that he felt the provincial government was covering up for the official, Yuan Zhanting.

"They did not perform the investigation thoroughly or responsibly, which is why I decided to forward the evidence to the central discipline authority," Zhou told the Global Times.

The Gansu Provincial Commission for Disciplinary Inspection said Saturday that Yuan, the 51-year-old mayor of Lanzhou, purchased three of the five wristwatches seen in the photos with his salary.

The commission claimed that Yuan's most expensive watch is a 25,100-yuan ($4,028) Rado, while the 150,000-yuan Omega he is seen wearing is only a cheap fake.

The response came after a series of photos Zhou posted on December 3 show Yuan wearing five pricey watches, including a 15,000-yuan Omega and a 20,000-yuan Vacheron Constantin.

Many people online criticized the statement because it failed to explain how Yuan might have been able to afford two other expensive watches seen in the photos.

Zhou said Yuan has profited from the city's bus rapid transit system, which has seen a lot of trouble since construction started in March 2011. Zhou accused Yuan of embezzling money that was supposed to be spent on the system, forcing contractors to cut corners on materials which now pose a profound safety threat.

Neither the Gansu commission nor the mayor could be reached for comment. Zhou said he held no personal grudge against Yuan but he felt the things Yuan did were not right.