Admitting corruption has hampered Shanghai's development, Mayor
Han Zheng yesterday vowed to build a clean,
efficient and transparent government.
"We will place higher priority on building a clean government
committed to fighting corruption," Han told the first session of
the 13th Shanghai municipal people's congress, which opened
yesterday.
He hailed the city's development in the past five years but
noted that some officials "are not capable of managing an
international metropolis like Shanghai", and some had squandered
public funds and committed dereliction of duty.
"A few have used power for personal benefit and were involved in
corruption."
The social security fund scandal involving former Shanghai Party
chief Chen Liangyu "has seriously affected the city's reform and
development".
"We need to learn from it and develop a more effective
anti-corruption system that will combine rigorous punishment with
prevention," he said.
Han suggested systematic supervision over such key areas as
construction, land and property rights transactions, and government
purchases.
An anti-corruption storm has been roiling Shanghai since
mid-2006 when at least 3.4 billion yuan ($470 million) was found to
have been embezzled from the social security fund and diverted to
property and highway investment.
The scandal has brought down more than a dozen government
officials and heads of major State-owned enterprises including Chen
and China's Formula 1 boss Yu Zhifei.
Caijing magazine reported on Tuesday that Yin Guoyuan, former
vice-director of the city's housing, land and resources
administration bureau, had been charged with taking bribes and
illegally possessing various properties.
Yin was reported to have taken advantage of his position to
grant benefits to others and receive cash, company shares, a house
and a car, worth tens of millions of yuan. Five other officials in
the bureau are under detention, the magazine said.
(China Daily January 25, 2008)
