Disgraced vice president of China’s largest bulk shipping firm charged wife’s spa treatments to company

Xu Minjie, the former vice-president of China’s largest bulk shipping company, charged his wife’s beauty spa treatment to the company, The Beijing News reported.

Xu, who had an annual salary of 5 million yuan (HK$6.3 million) at Cosco, let his wife spend more than 308,000 yuan during one trip to Macau.

His wife, surnamed Lu, said that she went to Hong Kong, and immediately received a companion card for the Jockey Club from a Cosco secretary. The secretary told Lu that she could use the card at restaurants and spas and to buy skincare products. Lu made use of all of the activities mentioned and often brought friends along with her.

In late 2013, Xu resigned from Cosco the day after the company announced that he was “under investigation by relevant authorities”, one of several euphemisms to describe corruption charges.

Xu was jailed for 10 years for corruption last October.

Xu appealed the charges associated with his wife’s spending, and argued that she spent it on entertaining customers, as well as family and staff members. But the court ruled that beauty, aromatherapy, personal meals and other expenses were purely personal and not affiliated with Cosco. The verdict was upheld by the court.