Anti-graft teams investigate 'naked officials' in Fujian

There are lots of "naked officials" - public servants whose spouses and children have emigrated overseas - in East China's Fujian province, said inspectors dispatched by the country's top anti-graft agency.

The provincial government must beef up anti-graft measures to address the high number of naked officials, according to a statement released on Monday through the website of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Communist Party of China.

The problems were revealed by the inspection team dispatched by the CCDI in late March. The commission sent 14 teams to 11 provincial governments, one State-owned enterprise, one university and a central ministry to collect whistleblowing information on officials' misbehaviors.

The commission did not elaborate on the exact number of naked officials or the destination countries of their family members.

Wang Zhengfu, head of the inspectors sent to Fujian province, urged that the local government should tackle the problem of naked officials in a serious manner.

The government should keep a close eye on key areas including real estate development and construction projects to fend off corruption, he said.

Apart from the problem of naked officials, the inspectors have also found that some officials have maintained close ties with businesspeople.

Corruption in education, health, justice and environmental protection is rampant, which must be addressed with stricter regulation, according to the inspectors.

The inspectors also pointed out that some retired government officials have too many part-time roles in non-governmental organizations.

You Quan, Party chief of Fujian province, said that local disciplinary authorities will take effective measures to fight corrupt activities, and that feedback will be delivered on every whistleblowing tip collected by inspectors.

In early June, the Guangdong provincial government said it transferred 866 naked officials to new posts amid the ongoing anti-graft campaign. It's the first time a provincial government has transferred so many naked officials.

The moves involved nine prefecture-level officials and 134 county-level officials, who were asked to retire early, transferred to less important posts or had resigned.

anbaijie@chinadaily.com.cn