Six officials in the Communist Party of China in Shanghai have
been caught abusing their posts for personal profit, the Party's
discipline watchdog said yesterday.
The announcement followed a one-month grace period in which
cadres could confess corruption and receive more lenient treatment
than if they were caught later.
One of the six officials has been referred to judicial
authorities for prosecution on undisclosed corruption charges, and
two remain under investigation.
The other three, who were linked to Shanghai's social security
fund scandal, were given "lenient treatment" after receiving
earlier, unspecified punishments, the Discipline Inspection
Commission of the CPC Shanghai Committee said.
Authorities also said that Wang Weigong, deputy general manager
of the Shanghai-listed Shenergy Group, is under investigation for
alleged "serious violations of Party discipline."
Details on Wang's case will not be available until after the
investigation is complete. It was not immediately clear if he was
among the six.
"We are learning lessons from last year's social security fund
scandal and (former Shanghai Party chief) Chen Liangyu's corruption
case and are trying every means to discover possible loophole in
the discipline and management system," said Cheng Zhiqiang, deputy
secretary of the city's Party discipline commission.
Chen, the highest-level official to be deprived of all his Party
and government posts in the past decade, is now in jail awaiting
trial on corruption charges. He allegedly misused his power to help
private companies obtain illegal loans from the Shanghai social
security fund.
A total 3.7 billion yuan (US$483 million) was reportedly
misappropriated from the pension fund to invest in risky real
estate, road and other projects, with scores of government and
party officials involved.
In the latest effort to root out corruption, the CPC Central
Commission for Discipline Inspection on May 31 issued a statement
that spelled out rules prohibiting CPC members, especially
officials, from taking advantage of their posts to obtain profits
for themselves, their relatives or friends.
Crooked officials were urged to report their wrongdoing within
30-days.
Local discipline inspection officials said that 14 people turned
themselves in by June 30. It wasn't clear what happened to the
other eight.
The commission also talked to 595 senior cadres in the city,
including eight bureau-level officials, about their personal
situations within the one-month period in the attempt to clean
house.
In the continuing effort to increase honesty, the CPC Shanghai
Committee issued two regulations yesterday on bureau-level
management, decision making and the use of power.
The rules stipulate that important decisions like restructuring
of state-owned assets, budget planning and management of large
funds shall be made collectively.
Bureau-level officials are required to report on their work and
anti-corruption efforts at least twice during their tenure.
The discipline watchdog will also talk with cadres about their
work and life situations on a regular basis.
(Shanghai Daily August 8, 2007)