CHINA TOPIX

03/28/2024 07:13:31 pm

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China Launches Graft Probe On Guangzhou Party Chief

Corruption Continues to be a Widespread Problem in China

(Photo : Source: Reuters) China's former railways minister, Liu Zhijun, attends a trial for charges of corruption and abuse of power at a courthouse in Beijing in this still image taken from video dated June 9, 2013.

Wan Qinliang, the Chinese Communist Party head in Guangzhou, is being subjected to a probe for graft as part of President Xi Jinping's ongoing crackdown on corruption.

On Friday, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection said Wan was suspected of committing "serious disciplinary violations." The commission did not disclose additional details on the investigation, Reuters relayed.

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Xi launched a nationwide crackdown on corruption two years ago after he became the leader of the Communist Party. He warned that this deep-rooted problem could be a threat to the party.

The party had also kicked out a former senior official who was tasked to lead the petitioning system, the anti-corruption body said. The official had been accused of adultery, pocketing bribes, and other offenses.

The petitioning system was created during imperial times to provide Chinese citizens a way to let government officials know of their concerns without going through local authorities.

Former State Bureau for Letters and Calls deputy head Xu Jie was investigated and found to have abused his position by asking for bribes from some petitioners, the commission said. This was considered a "severe violation" of the party's law.

In a statement posted on its website, the commission called Xu an adulterer but did not provide further details. Officials of the Communist Party are expected to have good moral standing.

The Sichuan province has been known to be one of the primary targets of China's anti-graft campaign. Sources say the province's former domestic security head Zhou Yongkang has been under investigation for graft and is under house arrest.

On Friday, the commission announced that the former party boss of Ya'an city in Sichuan was booted for taking bribes and engaging in sexual relationships with married women. A former military official in the province, Ye Wanyong, was also expelled for an undisclosed reason.

China has also been focusing on the military in its effort to fight corruption. In March, former senior army officer Gu Junshan was charged with graft in one of the country's most high-profile military scandals.

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