Brother of disgraced former Chinese general Guo Boxiong given new job at research institute

The brother of a retired senior general under investigation for alleged corruption has become the head of an official research body, two months after he lost his job as Shaanxi’s civil affairs director.

Guo Boquan attended an official event as the director of Shaanxi’s Research Institute of Culture and History on November 3, Thepaper.cn reported on Friday, citing the institute’s website.

Guo Boquan, 54, is a younger brother of retired general Guo Boxiong, former vice-chairman of the powerful Central Military Commission.

Guo Boxiong had a powerbase at the northwest province and was considered an influential military figure during Hu Jintao’s presidency. The former general was investigated for corruption in April and sacked from the Communist Party in July.

In May, the party’s top anti-graft watchdog said inspectors found that close to 90 million yuan (US$14 million) had been embezzled from the province’s civil affairs department, which the younger brother oversaw, fuelling speculation that he would be sacked. Guo Boquan was quoted as saying that the department was determined to rectify its misconduct.

Two months after Guo Boxiong was expelled from the party, his brother was removed from his civil affairs post “for other appointments”, according to the province’s official newspaper Shaanxi Daily.