11 former prison, justice officials in Shandong under investigation

Eleven former officials and current staff members with the justice and prison systems in East China's Shandong province have been placed under investigation for possible serious violations of disciplines and laws, the provincial anti-corruption watchdog said on Wednesday.

Those under the probe include Xie Weijun, former head of the Shandong Justice Department and the Prison Administration of Shandong, Liu Baoshan, former head of Rencheng Prison, and Chen Minhua, a correctional officer at the prison, according to a news release from the provincial Discipline Inspection Commission and Supervisory Commission.

Among the 11 people, three also have been probed by prosecutors for possible dereliction of duty, the release said.

In addition, Chen and another worker at the prison, Dai Guanghui, have been probed by local public security bureau for allegedly disturbing prevention and control work of infectious diseases, it added.

All the investigations came after more than 200 confirmed infections of the novel coronavirus pneumonia had been reported in the prison in Jining, Shandong, on Feb 21. Later on the same day, a team led by the Commission for Political and Legal Affairs of the Communist Party of China Central Committee went to inspect the outbreak situation in the prison.

A statement issued by the team on Wednesday clarified that the prison outbreak happened after a person transmitted the virus to a police officer and a worker at the prison after the person drove to Jining from Wuhan, on Jan 21.

The team said the prison's management team failed to implement epidemic control requirements given by the central leadership, with serious bureaucracy and formalism. They had little awareness on preventing the disease in this particular type of facility.

Due to poor management, the police officer carried the virus and entered the ward, causing the disease to quickly spread among prisoners, according to the team.

The Shandong Justice Department, as the regulator for provincial prison management, neglected its duty on supervising and guiding epidemic control in Rencheng Prison, it said.

The country's prison management authorities are urged to learn a lesson from the prison outbreak and to lift the capability of prison governance.

On Wednesday, the Ministry of Justice, the nation's top regulator for prison management, said it will address loopholes and problems exposed in the case.

The ministry noted the case in Rencheng Prison reflected neglect of duty and irresponsibility in work, adding it has ordered prisons to fix the problems to ensure a final victory in the battle against the virus.