The southern metropolis Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong Province, has stepped up its battle against corruption, with authorities announcing the investigation of several officials and businessmen.

According to a press release by Guangzhou's Party discipline inspection commision, one of the men is 57-year-old Wang Shengjie, former chairman of Guangzhou Guangzhong Enterprise Group.

The statement said he was stripped of his position of vice-chairman and general manager of Guangzhou Electrical and Mechanical Group (Holdings) Ltd last summer. He allegedly received bribes of 1.31 million yuan (US$161,529) and illegal bonuses of 7.83 million yuan (US$965,475) from 1994 to 2002, while he chaired the Guangzhou Guangzhong Enterprise Group.

He also allegedly misused 1 million yuan (US$123,305) of company funds for his private business during the period.

Wang entered the company at the bottom level, and due to his competence and integrity he quickly rose to the top. At the age of 35 he became one of the youngest managers of a state-owned enterprise in the country.

However, according to the statement, when Wang's ambitions for further promotion were frustrated he started to become corrupt.

He bid to become vice-mayor of Guangzhou but was rebuffed, and from this point on he began to commit economic crimes and amass personal wealth.

He will be tried later this month

Other corruption cases listed in the statement include:

Zhou Mengchang, former chairman of Zhujiang Industrial Group

Liao Chang, former deputy director of Guangzhou's Panyu District Government

Liang Peizhang, former deputy director of Guangzhou Urban Environment and Sanitation Bureau

Tan Dongfang, former deputy director of Guangzhou's Huadu District Government

Ou Zhijiang, former general manager of Guangzhou Dongjian Industrial Corp

No further details on these cases are available.

The statement said that the municipal inspection commission also investigated another 15 division-level officials and corporate executives in the January-June period.

The commission helped to recover economic losses of 32.8 million yuan (US$4.04 million) for the state.

(China Daily July 14, 2006)