Chinese Communist Party graft-busters investigate China Telecom chairman Chang Xiaobing
Probe comes 10 months after Chang claimed he took home less than US$1,200 a month after tax
China Telecom chairman Chang Xiaobing is the latest senior official of a state-owned industrial juggernaut to fall from grace in Beijing’s sweeping crackdown on corruption.
The Communist Party’s anti-graft body, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, said in a statement on Sunday that Chang was suspected of seriously violating party discipline, a euphemism for corruption.
Chang said on the sidelines of the National People’s Congress in March that he earned about 8,000 yuan (HK$9,600) a month after tax.
The announcement on Sunday came just four months after a reshuffle at the top of China’s telecom sector, which saw Chang, 58, then chairman and chief executive of China Unicom, swap jobs with Wang Xiaochu, who was chairman of China Telecom at that time.
Two sources close to China Telecom said the investigation into Chang related to allegedly corrupt activity during his time at Unicom, where he was the top boss from November, 2004.
The investigation also reflects Beijing’s stepped-up efforts to eradicate corruption at big state-owned enterprises, which usually enjoy market monopolies and are believed to be hotbeds for graft.