Jailed bird traffickers' fathers confess to bribery

The fathers of two men jailed in 2014 for hunting and selling endangered birds turned themselves in to judicial authorities on Tuesday for bribing law enforcement officials, according to local authorities.

Vocational school student Yan Xiaotian and his friend Wang Yajun were sentenced to 10 and a half years and 10 years in prison respectively for hunting and selling Eurasian hobbies in Huixian of central China's Henan Province. The case garnered wide media attention and public discussion as to whether the penalties were too severe for the youngsters.

Yan Aimin, father of Yan Xiaotian, said he and Wang Yajun's father, Wang Bujing, had bribed officials in Huixian's forestry public security bureau, people's procuratorate and people's court "multiple times" after their sons were put behind bars, according to a Wednesday statement from the Xinxiang City People's Procuratorate. Xinxiang administers Huixian.

Yan said he and the older Wang had bribed the officials with sums ranging from several hundred yuan (100 yuan equals about 15 U.S. dollars) to tens of thousands of yuan in the forms of cash, shopping cards and phone bill payment.

According to the statement, Yan said some of the money was returned following media attention, but the rest remains in the officials' hands.

The Xinxiang procuratorate said it will investigate the case. Endi