Three Chinese lawmakers and four political advisors' memberships
were terminated on Wednesday, bringing the total number of ousted
deputies and members of the country's top legislature and advisory
body in recent four years to around 30.
The decisions were made ahead of the last annual plenary
sessions of the 10th National People's Congress (NPC) and the 10th
National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative
Conference (CPPCC), slated for March 5 and 3.
The current NPC has nearly 3,000 deputies and the CPPCC National
Committee has more than 2,000 members, who hold a five-year
tenure.
Allegedly involved in corruption or economic violations, the
seven disgraced former political elites included two former
ministerial-level officials, namely Qiu Xiaohua, former head of the
National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), and Zheng Xiaoyu, former
director of the State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA).
They may face other punishment and criminal penalties.
CPPCC member Qiu, already sacked from his administrative post
and expelled from the Communist Party of China (CPC), was suspected
to be involved in a social security fund fraud in Shanghai, which
led to the downfall of the city's Party chief Chen Liangyu last
year.
The CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection said Qiu
had taken bribes from enterprise owners, led a dissolute life and
committed the crime of bigamy when he served as a leader of the
NBS.
Zheng, also CPPCC member, allegedly abused the drug
administration's approval authority by taking bribes and turned a
blind eye to malpractice by relatives and subordinate
officials.
Premier Wen Jiabao in January this year ordered a
thorough investigation into the corruption allegations against
Zheng.
During the past four years, at least 24 NPC deputies were
expelled from the national parliament for graft and other law and
discipline breaches, including former deputy commander of the navy
of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Wang Shouye and
provincial chief procurators and top judges of Jiangxi,
Heilongjiang and Hunan provinces.
Eye-catching names on the dismissed CPPCC members list over the
past four years included former vice governors of Sichuan and Henan
provinces Li Dachang and Lu Debin, and? former chairwoman of
the CPPCC Heilongjiang Provincial Committee Han Guizhi, who was
given death penalty with a two-year reprieve.
They were expelled for taking briberies and other discipline
breaches.
The fact that so many NPC deputies and CPPCC members have been
stripped of their memberships for graft demonstrated China's
intensive efforts in fighting corruption and building clean
parliamentary and advisory bodies, experts said.
?
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.
Pointing out that the country's anti-graft task remains
"arduous",? Chinese President Hu Jintao said at a discipline inspection
meeting early this year that the Party and government should step
up efforts to improve the anti-corruption system and incorporate
the work of fighting corruption into economic, political, cultural
and social constructions.
Statistics show that from 2003 to Oct. 2006, China's prosecuting
organs at all levels tackled 67,505 graft-related criminal
suspects.
In addition to Qiu Xiaohua and Zheng Xiaoyu, Li Pinsan, former
chairman of the Industry and Commerce Federation of Ningxia Hui
Autonomous Region, was also expelled from the CPPCC National
Committee on Wednesday for alleged illegal fund-raising.
The Standing Committee of the CPPCC National Committee also
accepted the resignation of He Linxiang, former head of the
Agricultural Development Bank of China who had received punishment
because of discipline violations.
The three NPC deputies ousted on Wednesday were Liu Weiming, 68,
former vice chairman of the CPPCC Guangdong Provincial Committee,
Deng Zhonghua, former president of Hunan Chendian International
Development Co., Ltd, and Li Yichao, former board chairman of
Luoyang Zhongtai Group in central Henan Province.
They were expelled for alleged tax evasion or involvement in
corruption.
(Xinhua News Agency March 1, 2007)