Man arrested for angry web rant over potholes

A man was detained in Dazhou, Sichuan province for defamation of a local official online, where he accused him of corruption over a shoddy highway project, media reported Monday.

Chen Jun (pseudonym) served 10 days in detention and was fined 500 yuan ($80) after posting three messages online with photos showing pockmarked sections of the nearby 210 National Expressway on June 26.

Chen accused the director of local transportation bureau, surnamed Ma, of taking 12 million yuan in bribes from the contracting firm.

The posts quickly went viral and were reposted more than 10,000 times.

A police investigation found the highway was completed at the end of April, but Ma had been appointed as the director of the bureau on May 22 and had never conducted any bidding on city projects.

Chen admitted to slandering Ma on July 2 and told police he had written the posts to vent frustration over damage sustained to his car while driving on the highway.

"The purpose was to attract attention from officials in order to fix the road as soon as possible," Chen explained to authorities.

Chen said he contacted the forum's administrator to issue an open apology for the comments after the post went viral.

Ma decided not to press charges.

Criminal defamation is punishable with up to three years in prison and the deprivation of any political rights.