What’s new: Shang Liguang, the former deputy party chief of Shanxi province in North China, has been expelled from the Communist Party for violations described as “reckless and boundlessly greedy,” according to the country’s top anti-corruption agency.
Shang, 60, is also removed from public office and faces criminal charges, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) said in a statement Wednesday.
An investigation conducted by the CCDI and the National Supervision Commission found that Shang violated party disciplines by attending banquets and participating in fitness activities that could have compromised his impartiality in performing official duties, according to the statement.
Shang had concealed personal matters for a long time, trading power for money and sex. He used his position to seek profits for others in business operations, project contracting and job arrangement, while illegally accepting huge amounts of money and gifts in return, the statement said.
Background: The CCDI announced an investigation on Shang in September, days after he was seen attending a party theory study session in the province’s capital Taiyuan.
He is among a string of high-ranking party officials investigated in China's graft crackdown. More than 10 senior officials have received party penalties this year including former Guizhou party chief Sun Zhigang and former chairman of China Everbright Group Ltd. Tang Shuangning.
Shang spent the majority of his career in his native Hebei, working for more than two decades in the province’s discipline inspection commission. He also served as mayor of coastal city Qinhuangdao and party secretary of Cangzhou, a prefecture-level city.
In 2017, Shang was transferred to neighboring Shanxi and appointed deputy party secretary of the province in 2021.
Contact reporter Han Wei (weihan@caixin.com)
Get our weekly free Must-Read newsletter.
