Ex-party boss of Chinese city gets life term for graft

By Mahmut Atanur

BEIJING (AA) – A former Communist Party boss of one of China’s wealthiest cities has been handed a life sentence after being found guilty of accepting bribes worth more than $16.49 million.

State news agency Xinhua reported Friday that Wan Qingliang, a former Party secretary of the Guangzhou City Committee in southern Guangdong province, has been stripped of his political rights and had all his property and assets seized.

Wan, who previously served as vice governor of Guangdong, was accused of accepting more than 111 million yuan in bribes from 2000-2014 and taking advantage of his posts by seeking profits for others.

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.

Wan is among a number of prominent politicians and property development chiefs in Guangzhou to be targeted amid investigations.

According to the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post, the downfall of Wan in June 2014 also led to that of others -- including the party chiefs of nearby Maoming city and Guangzhou’s Huadu district, as well as a former Guangzhou Land Resources and Housing Administrative Bureau chief and retired provincial Organization Department director.

It cited the provincial anti-graft agency as saying that at least 78 departmental heads were toppled that year.

Last month, China’s top anti-graft watchdog announced that 163,000 officials -- including 41 at provincial and ministerial levels -- were penalized this year for violating Communist Party political discipline.

According to the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, 336,000 people were punished last year, with the cases of 14,000 submitted to the judiciary for suspected criminal activity.