Anti-graft watchdog continues corruption clampdown

"Our clampdown has gained crushing momentum and halted the spread of corruption," Yang said, adding that the task of supervising Party members and building a loyal, clean and responsible government will be arduous.

"We will never let up against graft, and we must especially stay alert to any election fraud during the Party's key meeting," he said, referring to the 19th National Congress of the CPC.

Learning from scandals

When he addressed a CCDI meeting earlier this year, President Xi said Party organizations at all levels must strengthen their management and strictly adhere to the rules to ensure healthy elections.

"Members who show excellent morality and ability should be chosen and promoted," he said.

The congress will see the election of the new leadership group and herald a major reshuffle at various levels of the CPC and government.

In a recent editorial, People's Daily, the Party's official newspaper, called for zero tolerance toward corruption during the elections. "Any malpractice, such as bribery and soliciting or buying votes, should be investigated and, if proved, severely punished," it said, adding that CPC members should draw lessons from recent political scandals that harmed the public interest and posed serious threats to social stability.

One example occurred in Liaoning province in 2013, when 523 of the 616 deputies who took part in elections for the provincial people's congress were suspected of offering bribes. They all resigned or were disqualified from taking their seats.

Overall, more than 950 officials were punished for being involved, according to a CCDI statement. Most received administrative punishments, while a number of senior provincial officials were charged with destroying the credibility of the election, abuse of power and bribery. They are awaiting sentencing.

Greater supervision

Song Dajun, deputy chief of the Party work style supervision office of the CCDI, said the authorities will continue to turn up the heat on corrupt officials through tight supervision and tough penalties. Violators face administrative punishments ranging from warnings or demotion to expulsion from the CPC, he said, while those who commit criminal offenses will be handed over to prosecutors.

Anti-graft enforcers at the local and national levels will be punished if they conceal, or fail to disclose in good time, information that implicates Party officials, he added.