China: Former vice mayor charged with corruption

By Mahmut Atanur

BEIJING (AA) – A former vice mayor from the central Chinese city of Zhangjiajie has been charged with using his influence to receive "extremely huge sums" of bribes under a nationwide anti-corruption campaign, state media reported Thursday.

China’s top prosecution body and a procuratorate in Zhuzhou, another city in Hunan Province, accused Cheng Danfeng of taking advantage of the influence of his father-in-law Su Rong, a former vice chairman of the country's top political advisory body.

Earlier this month, the Supreme People's Procuratorate charged Su with abuses of power that caused "great losses" to the state, taking advantage of his posts to seek benefits for others and accepting “a huge amount of bribes”.

State news agency Xinhua also reported Thursday that a former standing committee member of the Communist Party of China committee in northern Hebei Province has been dismissed from public office and expelled from the Party.

The country’s top anti-graft body, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, accused Zhang Yue of "extravagance and hedonism" and "superstitious" activities -- practices banned by the Party.

He allegedly violated the Party's frugality code and political code of conduct, sought benefits for others in selecting and promoting officials, used public funds for “extravagant banquets” and interfered in judicial processes and construction projects.

Since President Xi Jinping launched an anti-corruption campaign in 2013, tens of thousands of suspects have been investigated, including dozens of high-profile individuals at the top of the Party.