Retired general known as 'father of China’s body armour industry' suspected of graft, military mouthpiece reports
Zhou Guotai was a top officer at the graft-ridden General Logistics Department
A retired PLA general widely accredited with launching the protective body armour industry in China is being investigated for corruption, the army’s mouthpiece said on Wednesday.
Zhou Guotai, 66, was the deputy head of supplies and fuel at the General Logistics Department, a persistent source of graft in the military, before he reached retirement age.
Zhou was being investigated for “suspected serious discipline violations” by the department’s corruption watchdog, the website of the People’s Liberation Army Daily reported. His case had been handed over to military prosecutors.
Zhou’s downfall came after the Central Military Commission sent graft inspection teams to its four general headquarters, including the logistics wing, at the end of last month.
The logistics department has come under heavy scrutiny in President Xi Jinping’s push to root out corruption in the military.
Two deputy heads of the department, Gu Junshan and Liu Zheng, have fallen in the campaign. Gu was handed a suspended death sentence in August, while Liu remains under investigation.