Chapter 337: An Extravagant Political Achievement Project!

"Comrade Zhentao, I hear your Administrative Center is built quite impressively!" Jiang Jing said with a half-smile, "Since we are here, why not take a look at the progress?"

"Very well!" Xia Zhentao thought to himself that visiting the Administrative Center was not on the itinerary, but since Jiang Jing had made the request, he naturally had to comply.

One had to know that there was a sum of funds for the Administrative Center that required Jiang Jing's nod before it could be transferred into the District Government's fiscal account.

At the end of Jade Street, a tall building rose from the ground.

It was precisely the newly built Administrative Center of Chengzhong District.

In Xia Zhentao's view, this was the greatest political achievement of his tenure.

Costing hundreds of millions, it had driven the sale of all surrounding plots and would become a future regional commercial landmark for Hanzhou.

The entire building was imposing, covering an area comparable to seven or eight football fields.

In front of the south-facing main entrance was an open plaza, and around the plaza, three high-rises were under intensive construction.

The exterior wall decoration of the Administrative Center was already complete, the glass curtain walls gleaming in the sunlight, while intensive interior renovation work was still underway inside.

According to the plan, within half a year, this brand-new Administrative Center would be able to officially enter into use.

Looking at the grand building before him, Jiang Jing's expression, however, was grave.

Tang Ye was familiar with Jiang Jing and read his inner thoughts from the clouds on his brow.

Such an imposing Administrative Center was built entirely with the fat and blood of the people.

These funds could have been invested in more critical areas such as education and medical care.

Jiang Jing suddenly asked Xia Zhentao, who was beside him: "How much more funding is needed for this building to be completed?"

Xia Zhentao's expression tightened, and he answered cautiously: "It is estimated that another 30 million is needed. Please rest assured, Mayor Jiang, once the Administrative Center is completed, it will definitely drive the appreciation of the surrounding land. Now that all the nearby land has been sold, the funding gap will certainly be covered."

Jiang Jing swept a faint glance at Xia Zhentao, "The land acquisition and demolition funds came from municipal fiscal appropriations. After the land acquisition is completed, the relevant proceeds should also be turned over to the city for unified allocation, rather than being entirely withheld."

"From the initial construction to the subsequent investment of this Administrative Center, all accounts must be strictly scrutinized. Does the project quality meet the standards? Was there any corner-cutting? Were there any corrupt practices during the construction process? These questions must all be considered clearly."

Hearing these words, fine beads of sweat instantly seeped out on Xia Zhentao's forehead.

"Please rest assured, Mayor Jiang, I will definitely do a good job of supervision."

Jiang Jing's visit this time was by no means as simple as just going through the motions.

There had been rumors beforehand.

Jiang Jing had quite a few complaints about Chengzhong District building a luxurious Administrative Center.

Now, he had seen it with his own eyes!

This Mayor was clearly not just talking for the sake of it.

The Administrative Center should have been a place to serve the common people; such grand construction and extravagant ostentation went against the original intention.

More importantly, behind this seemingly glamorous project, Jiang Jing keenly sensed the scent of breeding corruption.

After the inspection ended, Jiang Jing sat in the back row of the sedan, remaining silent the entire way.

The corruption problem of Hanxing Group was merely one of the problems of Hanzhou's strained finances.

Such flashy and unsubstantial political achievement projects were also one of the root causes.

Jiang Jing was gradually grasping the fiscal work of Hanzhou City clearly.

He was striving to stifle the unhealthy tendencies and stitch up the riddled mess.

Tang Ye sat quietly in the front passenger seat, keenly sensing that Jiang Jing was immersed in thought, and did not dare to disturb him rashly.

Jiang Jing's actions offended the interests of too many people, like pulling chestnuts from the fire.

When the vehicle was about to arrive at the Municipal Government.

Jiang Jing broke the silence inside the car and suddenly asked: "Tang Ye, what is your take on the construction of the Administrative Center in Chengzhong District?"

Tang Ye deliberated for a moment, his tone steady and cautious: "Mayor Jiang, in my view, this project has quite a few problems and is by no means as simple as it appears on the surface."

Jiang Jing's brows furrowed slightly, his gaze sharp: "The reason?"

Tang Ye took a deep breath and said slowly: "I have carefully studied the initial project audit report issued by the Municipal Audit Bureau. At first glance, the report content is detailed and the logic is rigorous, almost impeccable. But one detail in it made me suspicious."

"Oh, tell me about it." Jiang Jing leaned forward slightly, a glimmer of expectation flashing in his eyes.

Tang Ye was meticulous and could discover problems that ordinary people overlooked from subtle details.

Tang Ye gathered his thoughts, "The report shows that the land acquisition and demolition compensation paid by the Government is precise to the single digit."

"The compensation amounts obtained by two of the enterprises were 28,450,000 yuan and 30,000,000 yuan respectively, which added together is exactly 58,450,000 yuan."

"What is even more worth noting is that these two enterprises are registered on the same street, and the land acquisition payments they paid to the street were 45,000,000 yuan and 45,000,000 yuan respectively, totaling 90,000,000 yuan."

"These numbers were not obtained through normal accounting; they look more like they were deliberately pieced together to reach a preset total, and there are obvious traces of forgery."

Tang Ye had a sensitivity to numbers that surpassed ordinary people.

Unnatural combinations of numbers were particularly glaring in his eyes.

Of course, for experienced professional auditors, if they checked carefully, they could also discover the clues within.

After all, in financial data, the more one deliberately pursues a perfect balance, the easier it is to expose problems.

Jiang Jing reacted quickly, his expression grave: "Is there the same boss behind these two plots of land?"

Tang Ye nodded gently: "According to my preliminary investigation, these two enterprises have an extremely close relationship, and the legal representatives are both surnamed Yin, who are the younger brother and older brother of Cao Zhengchun's wife. One of the enterprises is the construction party for the Chengzhong District Administrative Center project."

Jiang Jing rubbed his temples, his expression stern: "It seems the water here is deeper than imagined."

Tang Ye did not speak again.

The Municipal Audit Bureau was in the hands of Mayor Xiao Jingyu.

Why could even Tang Ye, a non-professional, see the problems, while the Municipal Audit Bureau did not point them out in time?

Clearly, there were unspeakable aspects.

Jiang Jing departed in the administrative vehicle, the taillights disappearing around the corner.

Xia Zhentao then took out his mobile phone and dialed Cao Zhengchun's number.

"Director Cao, Mayor Jiang just left. Judging by his attitude, he has quite a few complaints about the Administrative Center building."

"Did you mention that a sum of money is stuck in his hands?"

Xia Zhentao gave a helpless, bitter smile, his tone full of frustration: "I mentioned it, but he acted as if he hadn't heard me and steered the conversation away immediately."

Xia Zhentao had originally thought he could take advantage of Jiang Jing's inspection of Jade Street to go with the flow and urge the release of those funds for the Administrative Center!

The other end of the phone fell into a brief silence.

Immediately after, a cold sneer came through.

A chill spread along the receiver.

"It seems he needs to be taught a lesson."

Xia Zhentao's heart skipped a beat.

A layer of cold sweat instantly broke out on his back.

"Director Cao, please rest assured, I will definitely report any further developments to you the moment they happen."

Having said that, he hung up the phone in a hurry without waiting for a response.

A gentleman does not stand under a crumbling wall!

Xia Zhentao did not want to get dragged into the power struggle between the two!

Cao Zhengchun took a deep breath and dialed a number.

"Jiang Jing is still holding onto that money tightly and refuses to let go."

"What should we do? The workers are all waiting for the money to celebrate the New Year; I'm so anxious here it's like my eyebrows are on fire!"

His wife's voice was full of anxiety.

A flash of ruthlessness crossed Cao Zhengchun's eyes.

"Since he refuses a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit, then don't blame us for being impolite. Make a big scene; I want to see just how much pressure Jiang Jing can withstand!"