An official in Guangzhou was caught falling foul of a crackdown on drink-driving, but claimed he had been doing public work while drinking and then tried to order the traffic police to let him off the hook.
Liang Huiming, head of the party disciplinary committee of Lanhe township in Panyu district, was detained for 15 days on Wednesday night after a blood test showed a high alcohol level, The Southern Metropolis News reported. Mr Liang is also facing party disciplinary measures.
He became the first official in Guangdong to be caught since the Ministry of Public Security launched a two-month campaign across the mainland last Saturday to crack down on drunk drivers ahead of the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic.
The newspaper said many inebriated cadres had been caught, but they were not exposed and could have escaped punishment.
Mr Liang reportedly refused to take a breath test, and showed his staff card as he asked the traffic policemen to let him off. He told them he had been drinking, but said he was doing public work at the time. While he was standing outside his vehicle, he made several phone calls in which he sought help from influential cadres to order the police to let him off. He was taken to a hospital for a blood test.
The high-profile campaign followed mounting outrage over a string of deaths as a result of drink-driving. State media reported that 5,602 drunk drivers were caught in the first three days of the campaign.