Restaurateur humiliates cheap govt officials  

镇政府3年打70万元白条 猪蹄店拉横幅讨餐费

网友“Monkey-D-Basketball”昨天发微博称，河南省许昌市襄城县王洛镇政府在当地一家餐馆三年欠下70万元白条，以致餐馆老板不得不在店外挂横幅讨账。王洛镇政府办主任昨天下午证实欠账存在，“是前两年的招待费用”，据称政府方面已派人与餐馆老板沟通，将尽快解决。[查看全文]

(ECNS) -- The owner of a braised pork-leg restaurant in central China's Henan province has finally gotten paid for years of serving food to a stingy government official.

Geng Weijie, 47, hung two seven-meter-long banners reading "Secretary Han Junhong owes me 700,000 yuan in unpaid dinner bills for the past three years" outside his restaurant in the town of Wangluo. That's about US$115,000 worth of pig's trotters.

Geng said that for years local officials have been feasting in his restaurant without paying. "The officials just gave me IOUs," said Geng, who produced two of them, both bearing local government seals.

Geng said he opened the restaurant in 1995 and that it eventually became an official canteen for the local government. Officials always chose the restaurant to host guests, but not paying their bills put a huge economic burden on Geng and his family.

"I chose to hang the banners because I am now in poor health, and badly in need of money," said Geng.

After the case was exposed online, the local government launched an investigation and announced that Geng was telling the truth. He has since been paid in full.

"The money has been used to serve guests of the government," said an official surnamed Zhao. "The government has been experiencing financial stress, so the debt was paid off as soon as possible."