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CPC probe into duo's 'violations'

(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-04-17 07:24

Two high-ranking officials are being investigated by the Communist Party of China (CPC) over a "severe violation of discipline", it emerged on Thursday.

Chen Shaoji, 64, the chairman of the Guangdong committee for the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), and Wang Huayuan, 61, secretary of the Zhejiang commission for discipline inspection, were in the spotlight of the CPC's disciplinary board, a source told China Daily.

The source was unwilling to reveal any more details.

Caijing magazine reported on its website that Chen's case was allegedly linked to investigations into Huang Guangyu, ex-chairman of Gome Appliances, and Zheng Shaodong, assistant minister of public security.

Huang was being probed over alleged stock manipulation, while Zheng was under suspicion of accepting bribes during a financial crime investigation, reports said. An unidentified source told Caijing both investigations had exposed Chen, who was then found to have a huge amount of assets of unknown origin.

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Chen could have accepted bribes via his family, the magazine reported.

The former chief of Guangdong's public security department, secretary of its commission for political and legislative affairs and deputy secretary of its committee of CPC, took up his current post in 2004.

The report said Zheng used to work under Chen in the public security department before he was promoted to the Ministry of Public Security.

The reason behind the probe into Wang's affairs, which was announced at the same time, was unclear on Thursday.

He also used to work in Guangdong before taking up his current post in Zhejiang in 2006. He was formerly the secretary to the southern province's commission for discipline inspection and the deputy secretary of the Guangdong committee of the CPC.

He is also one of the few ministerial-level officials from the discipline commission that has held online chats. During a talk with 150,000 netizens at zjol.com.cn last November he said it had strengthened its crackdown on corrupt officials and urged Party officials to follow strict self-discipline.

"Sunshine is the best solution to corruption," he was widely quoted as saying in the media. "No matter how high a position he holds, he will be punished if he violates the law."

China Daily