Delegate issues public apology

A Shanghai Municipal People's Congress (SMPC) delegate apologized Wednesday for driving drunk last month in Changning district.

In a public apology posted on his company's website, the delegate, Yan Jianjun, 49, admitted to driving drunk, saying that his reckless behavior damaged the public and hurt those who cared and supported him. He promised to never drink and drive again.

Police stopped Yan on Anhua Road at 11:40 pm on January 5, according to a report on the news website xinhuanet.com. Suspicious that Yan was driving under the influence, police had his blood-alcohol level tested and found he had broken the law.

Yan had drunk half a bottle of red wine at dinner that night and went on to have a few more drinks at a karaoke parlor, the report said.

He was released on bail pending trial on a reckless driving charge.

Yan is the president of Shanghai Zenitek Group Co Ltd. He is ranked 88th on a list of China's 400 wealthiest people published by New Fortune, a magazine based in Guangdong Province, the report said.