This is awesome. Zhang Shaocang, a disgraced Chinese official standing trial for corruption, wept through a four-page apology letter begging the court for a lenient sentencing. That part is not awesome. The awesome part is that the four-page letter he read was written by another corrupt official, Zhu Fuzhong, who read the same exact letter at a sentencing 2 weeks ago in a Sichuan province court. The plagiarized apology letter was printed in the Procuratorial Daily, a national legal newspaper and Zhang printed it out and read it as his own. According to a Reuters story Wednesday, “Apart from using whole sentences word for word, Zhang also — more craftily — made ’slight changes” in other areas.” Reportedly Zhu’s letter had succeeded in securing him a light sentence and Zhang hoped that the same letter and a similar fit of tears would do the trick. You would think an official on trial for taking bribes might want to be honest about his apology. Once a crook, always a crook.

•Reuters: Corrupt Official Plagiarize Trial Apology

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