Liaoning official 'used public cash for trip'
The deputy governor of Liaoning province is under investigation for graft after he and his late wife were alleged to have used public money to pay for an expensive overseas holiday disguised as a business trip, media sources said.
The scandal was exposed when the name of the wife of deputy governor Liu Guoqiang was found on the passenger list of Air France flight 477 from Rio de Janeiro to Paris that vanished over the Atlantic Ocean on June 1.
Mr Liu was also confirmed to be overseas but spokesmen for the Liaoning government refused yesterday to reveal Mr Liu's whereabouts or to confirm whether he was under investigation for graft.
Nine Chinese nationals were among the 228 people aboard the flight, including Mr Liu's wife, Chen Chiping, and six people from the Liaoning-based Benxi Iron & Steel (Group), who were in Brazil for talks on buying iron ore.
A Benxi source said Mr Liu was also on the tour but the group had split up after finishing sightseeing in Australia.
Retired worker Wang Xinting told the South China Morning Post that a tour group of seven, including the official's wife, had left for Australia on May 17, while Mr Liu and two steel company officials joined the group a few days later.
'They spent about 10 days in Australia, until May 26, when Mr Liu continued a sightseeing tour in South Korea and his wife went to Brazil,' he said. 'The air crash happened when [Chen] was on the Air France plane heading back to Paris.'
Mr Wang said company bosses wanted to reward Mr Liu with an overseas trip and shopping for his help. He said Mr Liu was a former general manager of the company.
'I reported this to the central and provincial [Communist] party disciplinary bodies last week, but they interrogated me instead,' the retiree said.
'That wasn't a business tour because they visited scenic spots with a tour guide and didn't hire any translator for business negotiations.
'Also, the couple had nothing to do with a steel company's business negotiations.'
Mr Liu has been out of the public eye for at least a month. His last public appearance was on May 17, according to the official Liaoning Daily.
