Former Shanghai Communist Party chief Chen Liangyu, who is under
investigation for the Shanghai social security fund scandal, will
not attend the annual meeting of the National People's Congress
(NPC), a spokesman of the top legislature said in Beijing on
Sunday.
Investigation into the Shanghai scandal is going smoothly and
details of the case will be publicized at an appropriate time, said
the spokesman, Jiang Enzhu, at a press conference ahead of the
NPC's annual full session that will kick off on Monday.
A total of 3.7 billion yuan (US$475 million) of social security
funds were found misused in Shanghai in 2006. Chen was sacked last
September for alleged involvement in the scandal.
Nine other Shanghai officials involved in the case have been
stripped of their posts and expelled from the Communist Party of
China, who may also face criminal charges.
Former head of the National Bureau of Statistics Qiu Xiaohua was
also sacked and expelled from the Communist Party of China for
involvement in the scandal.
China has always been resolute in combating corruption, and a
series of measures have been taken to improve the anti-corruption
system, Jiang said.
"Through unremitting efforts, we are bound to curb corruption to
the minimum," Jiang said.
In the recent four years, around 30 deputies and members of the
country's top legislature and advisory body have been ousted.
Statistics show that from 2003 to October 2006, China's
prosecuting organs at all levels tackled 67,505 graft-related
criminal suspects.
An online poll launched in the run-up to the NPC and CPPCC
National Committee sessions shows that anti-graft is still one of
the most concerned issues among Chinese People.
(Xinhua News Agency March 4, 2007)