In record seizure, $33 million in cash found at home of suspected corrupt Chinese official

BEIJING – Investigators in China say they have found more than 200 million yuan ($33 million) in cash at the home of an official suspected of taking bribes, in the country's largest cash seizure ever.

A top anti-graft prosecutor, Xu Jinhui, said in a news briefing Friday that the cash was seized at the home of Wei Pengyuan, a deputy chief of the coal bureau under the National Energy Administration. Wei is under investigation for alleged corruption.

If the 200 million yuan were all in 100-yuan notes, it would pile 230 meters (750 feet) high, more than two-thirds the height of the Eiffel Tower.

Financial news publication Caixin said investigators wore out four of 16 cash-counting machines while measuring the stash.