Beijing: Some Chinese officials used the lunar new year celebrations as an excuse to bribe people, China’s discipline watchdog said on Monday.
Officials tried to give presents to their superiors in novel ways, avoiding dining at restaurants and instead going to “private places,” according to cases revealed by discipline inspection agencies.
Chinese people traditionally give “red envelopes” to friends and relatives, especially minors, during Special Festival, or Chinese lunar new year, hoping to bring good luck and happiness to recipients. However, the tradition has been abused by corrupt officials.
In Kunming, Yunnan Province, 60 local officials were found giving or accepting red envelopes, including one official who allegedly sent envelopes worth 809,000 yuan ($125,000) using public funds. Last year, 558 officials in Guangdong were punished for red envelope-related offenses involving 22.6 million yuan.
Liquor was frequently consumed during Spring Festival, and officials have been told to reduce the number of banquets they attend, and to remain reasonable and austere. In recent days, however, several officials died of alcohol poisoning in Anhui and Hunan provinces at functions with their colleagues and superiors.
China has stepped up anti-corruption efforts since the 18th Communist Party of China (CPC) National Congress in 2012, going after both corrupt high-ranking officials, or “tigers,” and lowly bureaucrats, or “flies.”
A number of senior officials were removed from their positions or are under investigation, after authorities began investigating them.
In 2015, the list grew even longer, as anti-corruption authorities extended their inspections to all local governments, major State-owned enterprises and financial institutions, in addition to State departments and ministries.
On Monday, a former Standing Committee member of the CPC Shandong Provincial Committee was reportedly indicted for allegedly receiving bribes.
Prosecutors in Ningbo, East China’s Zhejiang Province filed the case against Wang Min with the Ningbo Intermediate People’s Court.
Prosecutors said Wang took advantage of his positions, which also included deputy secretary-general and secretary-general of the CPC Shandong Provincial Committee as well as head of the provincial committee’s Publicity Department, to benefit others and accepted a huge amount of bribes.
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