China’s graft watchdog vows to continue crackdown on corrupt government officials
The Central Committee for Discipline Inspection says focus of investigations will be people suspected of continuing criminal offences since President Xi Jinping came to power in 2012
The top graft watchdog has vowed to root out corrupt heads of central and local government departments – no matter how difficult the task – as it focuses its investigations on suspects that have continued to offend since President Xi Jinping came to power in 2012.
In an article on the Central Committee for Discipline Inspection’s website yesterday, it said that although the situation for the anti-corruption drive remained difficult and complex, the campaign’s strong impetus would not falter.
“Within a group, the leader is the most important person, who decides the political ecology of a locality or a department,” it said. “[The cases of] those heads with severe problems should be tackled – no matter how difficult.”
The watchdog presented its efforts in a metaphor, vowing to root out all the “rotten trees” in a “forest” to prevent the infection of corruption from spreading.
Peking University anti-graft expert Zhuang Deshui said government heads at various levels were very powerful and it was hard for graft-busters at the same level to keep their power in check, which exposed the position to a higher risk of corruption.
“Around one-third of the corruption cases were related to the heads,” Zhuang said. “Taking down corrupted heads can bring a deterrent effect and send a message to the public.”
China watcher Johnny Lau Yui-siu said government department heads included both senior officials and low-ranking cadres.