Guangzhou officials under investigation for graft

Sun Feng, vice-chairman of Guangzhou Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, has recently been put under investigation for serious violation of Party discipline and state laws, according to a statement from Guangdong Provincial Party Commission of Discipline Inspection.

Sun was the director of the Guangzhou City Bureau of Civil Affairs before he was promoted to be deputy chairman of the city's political advisory body, said the statement which was published on the official website of Guangdong's top anti-graft body on Monday.

But the statement did not reveal details on Sun's case.

And in another development, two senior officials and four business executives have also been placed under investigation for serious violation of Party discipline and the state laws of Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province, said a senior official from Guangzhou Party Commission of Discipline Inspection.

"The officials who have been sacked included Lou Xukui, former deputy Party chief and head of Guangzhou's Panyu district, and Qiu Yongquan, former member of the standing committee of Guangzhou's Conhua district Party Committee and head of the district's United Front Work Department," Cai Penghao, head of the Publicity Department from the city's top anti-graft body, told a press conference on Monday afternoon.

And business executives that have been removed from their posts for further corruption investigation include Hu Shoubin, deputy Party chief, vice-chairman of the board and general manager of Guangzhou Light Industry and Trade Co Ltd, Liu Xianming and Mo Fan, both deputy general managers in Hu's company, and Chen Hui, deputy general manager of Guangzhou Development Group Co Ltd, said Cai.

But Cai did not reveal details on the corruption cases involving the city's senior officials and business executives while the anti-graft body is still carrying out investigations.

Earlier this year, Huang Hehong, former deputy Party chief of Guangzhou's Conghua district, Yan Yongjun, former head of Guangzhou's Liwan district, and Liu Zhiming, former chairman and general manager of Guangzhou Flagship Development Group Co. Ltd, have been removed from their posts for further corruption investigations.

According to Cai, anti-graft bodies across the southern metropolis have brought up files to investigate a total of 522 corruption cases, involving into 531 persons, in the first six months of the year, up 15.2 percent and 14.2 percent respectively when compared with the corresponding months of the previous year.

Of them, 82 belonged to major corruption cases, involving in 17 senior Party and government officials from the city.