Watchdog vows persistent campaign

CCDI says it will further curb spread of corruption with strong measures

The top anti-graft watchdog vows to conduct a persistent campaign to fight corruption during its tenure, the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection said on Monday.

"Our tenure is limited, but the Party's career is infinite," according to a statement on the CCDI's website. "We should take a long-term perspective and fully perform our duties to uncover more graft cases during the tenure."

According to the CCDI, it will further curb the spread of corruption and tackle the obstacles it faces in the fight against graft, including unclear duties, dispersed authority functions or misconduct for case investigation.

Since November 2012, when the new leadership took office, fighting corruption has become a top priority for the CPC Central Committee, and President Xi Jinping has taken a series of strong measures to combat corrupt officials nationwide.

In addition, the central government has tightened supervision of officials, known as "naked officials", who have sent their spouses and children abroad to invest in businesses and study, and has reduced their chances to be promoted or work in key positions at home.

According to the CCDI, 62 senior corrupt officials, including four State leaders, and more than 500 other corrupt officials and directors from State-owned companies have been placed under investigation for graft issues since November 2012.

Under a widening drive to target corruption, a number of Party or governmental officers in local areas have lost their motivation to behave well and even doubt their future career, which has drawn attention from the public, as well as media at home and abroad.

"The high incidence of corruption is blamed on the deformity of social values and the officials' strong desire for material benefits," said Pi Yijun, a law professor at the China University of Political Science and Law. "Therefore, once they can't use the convenience of their job to gain benefits, they become passive and lazy, even worried that they will be targeted for alleged graft if they undertake too much work."

Officials under investigation

Case 1: One senior official in Southwest China's Chongqing municipality has been investigated for graft, according to the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection on Monday. Fan Sailong, former deputy director of Yubei district, also the director of Airport New Town Management in Chongqing, was said to have used his position to gain benefits for others and colluded with others to accept bribes, according to the CCDI. He was also accused of offering bribes to other officials for business investment. He has been expelled from the Party and removed from his post, it said.

Case 2: Zheng Xiaoyong, former president of Civil Aviation Flight University of China, has been placed under investigation for "serious violation of Party rules", a phrase that usually refers to graft, according to the CCDI on Monday. Wu Xuyong, vice-head at the university, and Liu Hongyuan, the deputy chief accountant, have also been probed for graft.

Case 3: Niu Min, former head of Chengdu People's Intermediate Court in Sichuan province, has been investigated for graft issues, according to the Beijing-based online Caixin business report on Monday. Niu, 52, was taken by local prosecutors on Sunday for alleged corruption. From 1997 to 2007, he served as the deputy Party chief in Dujiangyan city, vice-secretary in Shuangliu county and head of Xindu district of Chengdu. Then he became president of Chengdu People's Intermediate Court. In early December, his wife and the director of the audit bureau in Dujiangyan city were taken away for interrogation.

Case 4: More than 15,800 Party or government officials above county level have been removed from their posts, according to the Ministry of Organization of the CPC Central Committee. A further 24,200 officials above county levels are waiting for details of a reshuffle. It is said that after the reshuffle, their administrative levels will no longer exist, but they will receive salary and welfare benefits as before.