Six Guangzhou officials held for taking bribes

Guangzhou's graft watchdog has arrested six more officials in its latest anti-corruption campaign, including the head of the city's vehicle management agency for allegedly taking more than three million yuan (HK$3.67 million) in bribes.

A report in Nanfang Daily yesterday quoted Guangzhou's discipline inspection commission as saying that the head of the agency, under the control of the city's traffic police, was being investigated for graft for accepting bribes in return for allowing substandard cars on to the roads.

The newspaper said the agency's boss had accepted more than three million yuan from the Guangzhou Renhe car inspection company in the past four years and had allowed it to run old tests that could be passed by shoddy vehicles.

Zengcheng Licheng hospital chief Liu Libiao was also caught in the anti-graft net.

Liu is alleged to have favoured the Zengcheng Suikang pharmaceutical company as a drug supplier for one year from January 2011, in return for 390,000 yuan in bribes.

He is also being investigated over allegations that he paid 50,000 yuan in bribes to Zengcheng health department officials from July 2008 to May this year.