China punishes more than 1.5 million officials for corruption
Staff Writer |
China has punished more than one and a half million officials and investigated 440 senior officials over the last five years as a part of the government’s anti-corruption campaign, the Communist Party of China said.
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Yang Xiaodu, deputy secretary of the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, provided the numbers from the campaign in a press conference, saying 2.674 million were investigated, of which 1.537 million were punished and 58,000 were on trial.
“This demonstrates our commitment to the principles that discipline must be strictly enforced and that all discipline violators must be punished,” said Yang, a day after the inauguration of the 19th Congress of the CPC.
This edition of the congress – held every five years – is expected to result in President Xi Jinping’s growing clout as he emerges more powerful than before with the incorporation of his theories by the party.
One of the key points of the Congress will be whether the head of the Commission on Discipline Inspection, Wang Qishan, 69, retires due to the party’s unwritten rule on age limits, or an exception is made for him.
Yang said the anti-corruption efforts “have enhanced all Party members’ consciousness of the importance to abide by Party regulations and discipline.”
Another 440 senior officials and top military brass have been investigated by the commission, according to Yang.
Among them, 43 were from the CPC’s central committee – made up of 200 of the most powerful leaders in the regime – and nine were from the Commission on Discipline Inspection, the anticorruption wing of the party.
China is working to ensure the capture of suspects who fled the country after being accused of corruption.
Nearly half of the 100 such people registered by Interpol have been detained. ■
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