China Party Ousts Top Official Over Graft: Media

Jakarta Globe – AFP, August 8, 2013

Former top economic policymaker Liu Tienan 'took advantage of his position
 to seek profits for others' and was 'morally degenerate,' China's official Xinhua
news agency said, citing the party's anti-corruption watchdog. (Reuters Photo)

China’s ruling Communist Party has expelled one of its highest-ranking officials to come under suspicion for graft as leaders wage a high-profile campaign against corruption, state media said Thursday.

Former top economic policymaker Liu Tienan “took advantage of his position to seek profits for others” and was “morally degenerate,” the official Xinhua news agency said, citing the party’s anti-corruption watchdog.

“Both Liu and his family accepted huge amounts of bribes,” it added.

Liu, once the deputy director of the influential National Development and Reform Commission, lost both his party and government posts.

Expulsion from the party is normally a precursor to criminal prosecution for Chinese officials.

President Xi Jinping took office in March vowing to root out corrupt officials ranging from high-ranking “tigers” to low-level “flies,” and warning that the problem could destroy the party.

But analysts doubt whether the new leadership will take on powerful vested interests and implement system-wide reforms to truly tackle the problem.

Xinhua has touted a series of recent suspected corruption cases as evidence that the authorities intend to deliver.

This week four judges in Shanghai were punished over allegations first exposed online that they had visited prostitutes.

Liu’s case also first surfaced online when the respected business magazine Caijing accused him of improper business dealings in 2012.

In early July the former railways minister Liu Zhijun was given a suspended death sentence for huge bribery.

Also last month Bo Xilai — until last year one of China’s 25 most powerful politicians — was indicted for bribery, embezzlement and abuse of power.

A series of low-level officials have come under investigation as well, often after ordinary Chinese exposed their often-salacious alleged scandals online.

“The growing number of officials under punishment has shown the party’s zero tolerance to such wrongdoing,” Xinhua said on Monday.

Agence France-Presse

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