Village leaders facing spate of investigations

In the first nine months of this year, 77,000 current or former village heads and Party chiefs have been investigated in China, an increase of 31,000 compared to last year, as the central government's anti-corruption campaign delves deeper into the grassroots level.

Data from the country's top watchdog showed figures from January to September this year exceeded the total number of such officials investigated last year — 61,000 — with the supervision of grassroots officials being strengthened amid intensified rural vitalization efforts.

From January to September, disciplinary watchdogs handled 642,000 cases across the country, including investigations into officials at various levels, with 58 at the provincial and ministerial levels, according to a recent release from the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection.

Among the officials investigated, about 3,260 are at the department and bureau levels, 26,000 are at the county level and 89,000 are at the township level, data showed.

At the annual plenary session of the CCDI in January, the central leadership emphasized the need to extend the anti-corruption campaign to the grassroots level to better ensure justice for the people.

A targeted crackdown on corruption and misconduct in rural vitalization efforts was also stressed in the No 1 central document for 2024 released in February, which outlined the priorities for promoting rural vitalization this year.

As scrutiny on grassroots officials intensifies, cases of corruption involving village officials have been disclosed.

In September, Guizhou province revealed a case in which a village official was caught accepting kickbacks related to a toilet renovation project. And in another instance in August, a 32-year-old former village Party chief in Huizhou, Guangdong province, was found guilty of fraudulently obtaining compensation funds for crops.

Measures have been implemented to enhance the management and oversight of village cadres, especially those with significant responsibilities, as rural vitalization work progresses.

In November 2022, Guizhou issued regulations specifically targeting village heads to ensure they perform their duties with integrity. They encompass aspects such as standardizing village-level decision-making and implementing disciplinary supervision.

The document detailing the regulations stipulates that matters concerning village-level asset management must be deliberated by the village Party organization, and reported to the township Party committee for the record.

It also emphasizes strict implementation of the annual inspection system for rural collective assets and a regular reporting system.

It explicitly requires that supervision should be strengthened in villages with large collective economies, numerous construction projects and high integrity risks. Furthermore, each village Party organization under the jurisdiction of a county Party committee should be inspected at least once per term of service.

zhangyi1@chinadaily.com.cn