Several former executives of China National Petroleum Corporation, one of the world's largest energy companies, have been implicated in corruption scandals involving a "political fraudster", according to a State-produced anticorruption documentary aired on Monday night.

The documentary, jointly produced by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, the National Commission of Supervision and China Media Group, detailed the connection between Xu Wenrong, a former senior CNPC leader, and Zhou Xianming, a contractor from Jilin province who falsely claimed to be able to arrange promotions through high-level political contacts.

Xu, who holds a doctorate in management, was shown in the documentary referring to Zhou, who only had a secondary school education, as "Teacher Zhou". The two first met at a dinner in 2008, where Zhou used the opportunity to gain access to CNPC's resources.

Zhou crafted an elaborate persona, presenting himself as a disciple of a "traditional Chinese culture master" and claiming to have insider connections with influential leaders. He exploited this image to win the trust of executives and their families. Zhou's tactics included embellishing gossip and information from social circles, which he strategically shared to strengthen his credibility.

In 2011, when Xu was promoted, Zhou falsely took credit for the move, convincing Xu of his influence. Xu, in turn, introduced Zhou to other CNPC officials, including Wang Yilin, then deputy general manager of the company.

Wang, who later served as CNPC chairman from 2015 to 2020, admitted to consulting Zhou before two significant promotions, believing Zhou's fabricated claims of insider knowledge.

The documentary revealed that Zhou leveraged his relationships to secure contracts for his family's engineering business in Jilin, facilitated through Xu's influence. Zhou also cultivated ties with other CNPC leaders, including Gu Xuejin, then deputy director of the company's information management department.

Zhou promised Gu a promotion, which he sought to facilitate through Wang's connections. However, in 2022, reports of Gu's misconduct led to an investigation that uncovered Zhou's fraudulent activities and implicated Xu and Wang.

Xu expressed regret in the documentary, stating: "I truly feel remorseful. I shouldn't have attended that dinner, shouldn't have met him and shouldn't have developed such a deep relationship."

Zhou admitted on camera: "I used deception as bait by claiming I knew influential leaders. They had a need for such connections, and I catered to that need, thus deceiving them."

Du Zhongjie, an official from the CCDI and NSC, said in the documentary that the executives'wavering ideals and reliance on connections allowed Zhou to exploit them.

Xu has been sentenced to 14 years in prison for bribery. Wang and Gu are also facing prosecution, authorities said.

jiangchenglong@chinadaily.com.cn