Lottery official clears his name

A FORMER top lottery official in south China has been cleared from negligence in a lottery scandal by a local court.

Mai Liang, former dean of Guangdong Province Sports Lottery Management Center, was released yesterday after his innocence was announced, today's Guangzhou Daily reported.

Mai was first sentenced to 3 1/2 years in jail last year for negligence of duties after an owner of a lottery sales point under the center was convicted of cheating nearly 30 million yuan (US$4.39 million) from the lottery fund.

In a second hearing, he was still held guilty but exempted from jail time as the judge said his involvement was minor.

The third hearing yesterday – his final appeal under Chinese law - exonerated him from blame.

Chinese story link