Senior government posts unfilled in Guangzhou in wake of corruption probes
Several senior government positions in Guangzhou have been left vacant in the wake of a sweeping anti-corruption drive in the city, according to a newspaper report.
Five director level posts have been left empty and the lack of leadership has affected efficiency in some departments, the Southern Metropolis News reported.
One of the posts has been unfilled for 1½ years, the report said.
The most senior official to fall under the anti-corruption drive in the city is the former Communist Party chief in Guangzhou, Wan Qingliang.
He was formally dismissed and thrown out of the party in October for taking bribes.
The senior posts unfilled in the city government are the directors of the forestry administration, the audit bureau and the bureau of quality and technical supervision; the head of the land resources and housing administrative bureau and the secretary of the Huadu district Communist Party committee, according to the report.
Three people who formerly held the posts have been investigated for corruption, while the two other former chiefs took retirement.
The report said it was highly unusual for senior positions to be left open for so long in city governments.
The situation has been complicated by the corruption investigations in Guangzhou, the report said.
Some departments have managed to cope without a senior executive, but others have suffered, the Southern Metropolis News reported.
These include the land resources department.
Its former head Li Junfu was detained for alleged corruption in July.
The report said the department’s efficiency and personnel management had deteriorated.
At least 78 government department chiefs have been implicated in corruption probes in Guangdong this year, more than any other province on the mainland, and nearly 10,000 officials have been placed under investigation, the province’s anti-graft agency said.
President Xi Jinping has launched a massive anti-corruption campaign since taking office two years ago, saying graft posed a threat to the future survival of the Communist Party.