Li Peng's protege Gao Yan lived a decadent lifestyle, employees are told
The central government has branded Gao Yan, the former head of China's State Power Corporation, 'a traitor against the party and country', according to sources close to the company.
An internal notice read to employees of the corporation this month said Mr Gao, who is also a former member of the powerful Central Committee of the Communist Party, had lived a 'decadent lifestyle' and embezzled huge amounts of public funds.
Mr Gao is believed to have fled overseas last year, probably to the United States. The notice did not comment on his whereabouts.
It remained unclear when or even if the central government would make its accusations against Mr Gao public, as such stinging criticism would embarrass the top leadership.
Mr Gao was a protege of former premier Li Peng and enjoyed the rank of government minister. He is the highest-ranking official to flee to a foreign country in more than a decade. He was appointed a member of the party's Central Committee at the 14th party congress.
The central government had been silent over Mr Gao's whereabouts since he disappeared just weeks before the 16th party congress last November, at which Mr Li stepped down as a member of the Politburo's Standing Committee. At the time, the central government was also preparing to break up the State Power Corporation into seven companies in a major overhaul of the electricity sector.