Beijing probes graft buster

Mr Mo Jiancheng, 61, became the finance ministry's top graft buster in December 2015.
Mr Mo Jiancheng, 61, became the finance ministry's top graft buster in December 2015.

BEIJING • The head of the anti-graft committee for China's Ministry of Finance has been put under investigation himself for suspected graft, the ruling Communist Party's anti-corruption watchdog said yesterday.

Mr Mo Jiancheng, 61, was suspected of "serious discipline breaches", a euphemism for corruption, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) said in a statement.

Mr Mo, who became the top graft buster for the finance ministry in December 2015, was also a member of the ministry's party committee and earlier served as deputy party secretary and vice-governor of Jiangxi province.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has waged war on graft for more than four years, vowing to continue until he has cleared the Communist Party of both high- and low-level graft, which he warns could threaten the party's survival if left unchecked.

Inspection teams have been a core feature of the campaign, parachuted by central authorities into provinces or institutions to tackle entrenched corruption, in theory immune from bribery and pressure by local officials.

CCDI has in recent months made efforts to show it is serious about tackling corruption within its own ranks, which it refers to as "darkness hiding beneath the light".

REUTERS, XINHUA

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on August 28, 2017, with the headline Beijing probes graft buster. Subscribe