3,200 officials withdraw investment in coal mines
More than 3,200 government and state-owned firm officials have withdrawn their stakes in the nation's coal mines, as part of a campaign to root out corruption and improve safety in the industry, according to figures released yesterday in Beijing.
The figure was based on preliminary estimates from 20 provinces with coal production, an official from the State Administration of Work Safety Supervision told Xinhuanet.
The Xinhuanet report did not reveal the total value of the stakes.
The State Council issued an ultimatum on August 22 ordering all government officials to divest themselves of mining stakes or face dismissal.
The ultimatum came after a flood in August at the Daxing Colliery in Meizhou , Guangdong province, that left 123 workers dead.
A top-level investigation led by the Communist Party's Central Commission for Discipline Inspection revealed many local government officials held shares in the operation, raising suspicions they had colluded with the mine's owners.
But after the national notice came out, some provinces, including Henan and Heilongjiang , extended the deadline. By October 15, 356 people had come forward with $23 million worth of shares in Henan mines.
In Heilongjiang, 147 people had withdrawn their investments by October 12. That number climbed to 198 as of Sunday, Xinhuanet reported.
