China demotes 10 wayward top officials in 2015 but few details on errors of cadres’ ways
Only one of the demoted officials, all of whom held vice-ministerial ranks, had his wrongdoings made public as Beijing tries to maintain party image
PUBLISHED : Saturday, 30 January, 2016, 1:26am
UPDATED : Saturday, 30 January, 2016, 1:26am
Jun Mai
[email protected]
The handling of the demoted officials’ cases points to concern in the Communist Party over its image. Photo: Reuters
Ten Chinese officials at vice-ministerial level were demoted for “serious violations of party disciplines” last year, with some totally stripped of their ranks, the country’s top anti-graft watchdog said on Friday.
The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection usually reveals disgraced cadres’ alleged wrongdoings after its investigations, but this was not the case for most of the 10 officials.
“This is a clear contradiction to the concept of the rule of law,” said Beijing-based political commentator Zhang Lifan.
The difference in handling the cases indicated the party’s concern for its image as the details might incur criticism, Zhang said.
Most of the cadres that were put under CCDI’s investigations have ended up in courts and jails.
Upon conclusion of the probes, a cadre is usually handed over to prosecutors and their violations publicised. The extent of their wrongdoings is then revealed when the case is heard in court.
The amount of money embezzled or taken as bribes is usually not revealed until a trial is heard, when the authorities release more details of the case.
But although the probes into all 10 of the vice-ministerial-level officials had already been concluded, only one of the disgraced officials had his wrongdoings made public, according to CCDI.
Xu Aimin, 59, vice-chairman of Jiangxi province’s top political advisory body, was demoted to vice-division level last February and expelled from the party. He caused great losses in state assets and sought to promote his daughter and son-in-law, CCDI said.
Some of the investigations into the officials were confirmed for the first time only on Friday – a rarity for non-military cadres in recent years.
Besides being demoted, the 10 were also dealt penalties ranging from probation to expulsion from the party. None was charged.
“If there is no legal issue involved, details of the cases will not necessarily be made known to the public,” said Zhuang Deshui, deputy director of Peking University’s Clean Government Centre. “In principal, they should all be publicised.”
Aside from taking bribes – a criminal offence – disciplinary violations also cover non-criminal acts such as running a business under a cadre’s jurisdiction and having an extramarital affair.
But there is some grey area.
The officials’ demotions were decided based on factors including whether they showed remorse and whether they returned their “earnings that violated disciplines” CCDI said. It did not clarify the difference between such illicit earnings and bribes.
“The definitions [of the two] mostly overlap,” Zhuang said. “[Whether a cadre will be indicted] also depends on his willingness to cooperate.”
The party should have clearer standards for internal punishments, Zhuang said.
He added that he believed more problematic cadres would face such demotions.
CCDI chief Wang Qishan has stressed over the past year that disciplinary probes needed to differentiate among various levels of violations. The majority should face light punishment, and “very few” should undergo legal investigations, he said.
The differentiation showed that the party cared for its members, Wang said.
