Ex-aide to China’s personnel chief sacked for ‘corrupt political morals’
Wei Minzhou was found to have taken huge bribes and engaged in superstitious activities, graft-buster says
The former right-hand man of China’s top personnel official was sacked for having “corrupt political morals” and being “politically opportunistic” on Thursday.
Wei Minzhou, a senior official in the Shaanxi provincial legislature, was also found to have taken huge bribes and engaged in superstitious activities, the Communist Party’s anti-graft agency said in a statement after an investigation.
He was expelled from the party, sacked from all of his public duties and faces prosecution.
Wei, 60, was the secretary general of the northwest province’s party committee between 2007 and 2012 – a time when Zhao Leji was the Shaanxi party boss.
Zhao is now a member of the 25-strong Politburo and heads the party’s Central Organisation Department, a key agency overseeing the promotions and performance appraisals of senior officials. The agency plays an important role in party reshuffles during the twice-a-decade national congress, including the one coming up this autumn.
Wei was placed under investigation in May, only four months after he was made deputy head of the Shaanxi people’s congress in January.
The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection said Wei refused to cooperate in its investigation, attended lavish banquets, failed to report personal information and was engaged in for-profit activities.
It also said Wei took advantage of his posts to seek profits for others and accepted property.
Coinciding with the graft-buster’s statement on Wei, party journal Qiushi, or Seeking Truth, ran a lengthy article by Zhao on Thursday, praising tougher disciplinary inspection arrangements announced earlier by the CCDI.
