Officials 'did not attend' pole dancing show

Local authorities have denied that officials from a sub-district office in Guangdong Province had taken in a pole dancing show while travelling, but admitted that those trips were paid for with public funds.

The clarification on the official Weibo account of the Party committee of Duanzhou district came after an online accusation claimed that some officials with the Huanggang sub-district office of Duanzhou district in Zhaoqing were present at a pole dancing show in Guilin, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region recently, also pointing out that these officials were on trips at public expense.

The accusation also said that as some officials were unwilling to view the pole dancing show, the leader of the group worried about the story being leaked, and required all officials to participate.

The tip-off read that the sub-district office boldly organized such trips which were strictly banned by the central government, calling for investigation from higher authorities into this case and impose punishment on those involved.

The clarification also added that a preliminary investigation showed that no officials were found in pictures published online and the photos published on WeChat were actually taken by two drivers, Liang Youguang and Du Guiying, with their mobile phones outside a bar in Guilin, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

The officials who organized group travels with public funds were suspended from their posts and the embezzled money has been returned, according to the district Party committee.

The Duanzhou district commission for discipline inspection may carry out further investigation into any violation of Party or government discipline, said the committee.