“Brother Watch,” Felled By A Smile, Smiles Through Sentencing Of 14 Years In Prison

Yang Dacai smiling official Brother Watch sentenced

Yang Dacai, dubbed the “smiling official” after he was pictured grinning ear-to-ear at the scene of a horrific traffic accident last August, has been sentenced to 14 years in jail for accepting bribes. He smiled. As Wall Street Journal notes, he looked “oddly beatific.”

Maybe the guy is naturally disposed to smile? He’s like a cat. Could it be that we were all wrong to cast aspersions at him following this picture?

Smiling official Yang Dacai

Eh. Let’s put it at “maybe.”

Prosecutors said Mr. Yang, also referred to online as “Brother Watch,” failed to explain the origin of more than 5 million yuan ($802,000) in family assets, according to the China News Service (in Chinese). An investigation found he had accepted bribes totaling 250,000 yuan from an unnamed company that needed help passing a safety inspection.

After confessing to having fallen into the “abyss of criminality,” according to the report, Mr. Yang said it was “too late for regrets,” adding: “In admitting my guilt and showing repentance, my fervent wish is that the court will give me the opportunity to once again be an upright person.”

In addition to the prison time, Mr. Yang will be fined 50,000 yuan and forfeit all of his family’s ill-gotten assets, state media said.

Yang is called “Brother Watch” because microbloggers posted five photos of him wearing luxury watches. It kick-started a corruption investigation that eventually brought him down.

‘Brother Watch’ Oddly Beatific in Face of 14-Year Prison Term (WSJ)

    10 Responses to ““Brother Watch,” Felled By A Smile, Smiles Through Sentencing Of 14 Years In Prison”

      • Chinese Netizen

        Yeah, but in U-S-A! U-S-A!! political corruption is cloaked under various layers of campaign finance and other “laws” and lucrative post career positions and salaries that basically give legitimacy to the scum in Washington to enrich themselves once in and then out of office.
        This is why America always pushes “rule of law” on other countries…it’s a sophisticated way to legitimize criminal activity and to make transparency so difficult, one must hire lawyers for everything. Self preservation.
        (cue: Star Spangled Banner)

        Reply
        • benji

          ouch ouch. if you believe the level of corruption in the land of the spangled banner is as equivalent,pervasive and endemic as in the land of the five star flag, you must be one of ‘em hermit crabs still entrapped in mao’s “the east is red” propaganda sea. if beng filthily rich beyond imagination is my aspiration for my next life, i want to be reborn as a princeling in the land of the new emperors (circa 2013).

          Reply
          • Chinese Netizen

            Did I once say US corruption was equivalent or comparable to the CCP’s? Read again. Ouch!

            However…

            Princeling? Does “W” Bush dynasty ring a bell? Clinton dynasty? Ouch!

            CCP forcing ‘net companies to give up real name registration info or NSA’s rampant trampling of all that’s “sacred” to ‘Mericans and their privacy (to shop on Amazon and perv on AshleyMadison)? Double Ouch!

            Getting rich by pure thievery (CCP) or by massaged laws written by the guys that pay your rent (USA) to work in their favor? Keeping the wealth and power within the 1% (USA & CCP) circle? Influence, nepotism, feeding the gov’t industrial complex (CCP & USA)? It’s all different but it’s all the same, right? Triple Ouch!

            Reply
            • RhZ

              Yeah, its true. Bullshit wherever you go, just lots more bullshit (and lots more danger) in some places.

              But at least the US gov’t doesn’t try to stop me from watching ANY online video not on youku or tudou.

              So there!

            • benji

              what u r saying is a crime is a crime is a crime – just like pick pocketing (in the US) is no less guilty than grand larceny (China)….boy oh boy, am i glad u r not teaching math in my precinct

      • Jay

        Jesse Jackson Jr. Yang Dacai
        stole $750,000 stole $802,000
        2 1/2 years in prison 14 years in prison

        And US prisons are almost certainly nicer than Chinese prisons.

        Maybe the US should crack down heavier on corruption.

        Reply
        • Jay

          Jesse Jackson Jr………………… Yang Dacai
          stole $750,000…………………. stole $802,000
          2 1/2 years in prison…………… 14 years in prison

          Maybe now it’ll maintain the spacing.

          Reply
          • benji

            come come now. you actually believe the watch man actually stole only $750,000 (RMB or US doesnt matter) ? Look at the recent shoe trial, the infamous Party Secretary of CK was charged with the theft of an amount thats laugheable – something that village chiefs would spit on if offered…

            Reply
    1. benji

      corruption exists everywhere, its only separated by degrees of occurrences. brother watch has the unfortunate fate of being “outed” by the smart phone. he’s but a minnow. in the interim, whales who plunder billions go unpunished.

      Reply

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