China’s former navy chief Wu Shengli to face audit
- Assessment comes as Communist Party anti-corruption watchdog introduces rules for mandatory audits of all serving and retired top brass
- Wu was at the helm of the navy during a period of rapid expansion
The Central Military Commission has launched an audit of former naval commander Wu Shengli, according to a military notice.
The notice, which was posted on a public bulletin board, was shared by military historian Cai Xiaoxin on his Weibo account on Thursday.
It was issued by the commission’s audit department and said a team would be sent in coming weeks to audit Wu’s “economic responsibilities”. It also included contact information for the public to share information with the team.
Li Li, a professional auditor who has worked for the government, said state auditors examined the finances of specific accounts but unlike corruption investigators had no judicial authority.
“Auditors can only examine the financial aspects [of a case] and they have no judicial power to question or detain anyone who is the subject of the audit,” Li said.
“They can only pass on any information to [the Communist Party’s] disciplinary departments for further investigation if necessary.”
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