Deputy head of Chinese shipbuilder sacked and expelled from Communist Party
- Graft-buster finds Sun Bo guilty of trading power for financial gain and taking bribes
- Sources say he was investigated for passing information about China’s first aircraft carrier to foreign intelligence agents
The deputy head of the state-owned firm developing China’s first home-grown aircraft carrier has been expelled from the Communist Party and sacked for alleged “serious violations of party discipline and causing great damage to the national interest”.
Sun Bo, who was general manager of China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (CSIC), was found guilty of trading power for financial gain and accepting bribes, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, China’s top graft-buster, said in a statement on Monday.
But two sources close to the Chinese military told the South China Morning Post that Sun was investigated for allegedly passing confidential information about the Liaoning, China’s first aircraft carrier, to foreign intelligence agents.
The commission’s statement made no mention of the Liaoning project, giving only brief details of the case and saying that the investigation had concluded and that the party leadership had approved Sun’s expulsion. The case is now being handled by the country’s judicial bodies.
“As a senior cadre and responsible leader of a state-owned enterprise, Sun Bo has abused his authority and was disloyal to the Communist Party,” the statement said.