Beijing official investigated over 1.6m yuan wedding
Qingheying village official Ma Linxiang hosted extravagant three-day wedding for son
China’s anti-graft watchdog is investigating a Beijing official who spent more than 1.6 million yuan (HK$2.02 million) on a lavish three-day wedding for his son, state media said, the latest step in the government’s crackdown on waste and extravagance.
Ma Linxiang, a deputy village chief from the Beijing suburb of Qingheying, hosted the estimated 250-table wedding at an upmarket convention centre that was part of the main 2008 Beijing Olympics venue during the week-long National Day holiday last week, Chinese newspapers reported.
Ma told the Beijing News that the wedding was hosted by both families, and that he “couldn’t stop” the bride’s family from splurging on the venue as well as a troupe of performers that included two celebrities famous for their own lavish wedding.
Since taking office in March, Chinese President Xi Jinping has called corruption a threat to the ruling Communist Party’s survival and vowed to go after powerful “tigers” as well as lowly “flies”.
I know all about the party’s rules and what you should not do, but the bride’s family insisted and I couldn’t stop them
Among the “tigers”, ousted senior politician Bo Xilai was jailed for life last month after he was found guilty of corruption, taking bribes and abuse of power.