A vice mayor in south China's Guangdong Province is being investigated for violations of Communist Party officials' code of conduct after his "love affairs," exposed by Internet users, sparked massive public outrage, local discipline authorities confirmed Wednesday.

The Communist Party of China Guangdong Commission for Discipline Inspection said in a statement that Chen Yachun, vice mayor of Maoming City, is being investigated for "serious violations."

Chen, 57, was said to have deceived and raped a female journalist, among other accusations, by an informant who claimed to be the victim. The provincial discipline authorities said last Friday that it would look into the case.

The informant said her relationship with Chen began in 2003 when Chen was attending classes at the Party School of the CPC Central Committee in Beijing. She alleged Chen raped her when she was drunk and she has since been his mistress for seven years, local media Caixin said in an on-line report.

The informant posted online information about Chen's extravagant lifestyles, acts of bribery, and his abuses of power over the years. She even posted clips of scandalous video on the Internet, the report said.

Disgraced senior officials having mistresses are no longer news in China, but the growth of the Internet has allowed many such deeds to be exposed to the public, who have become increasingly intolerant of the abuses of power and corruption by government officials.