China punishes over 89,000 officials for violating frugality rules in H1

BEIJING -- A total of 89,564 Chinese officials were punished in the first half of 2020 for violating frugality rules, the top anti-graft body said Wednesday.

They were involved in 62,010 cases, according to a statement issued by the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Supervisory Commission.

The punished officials include 338 at the prefecture or equivalent level and 5,087 at the county level or equivalent.

A total of 19,063 officials were punished in June, of whom 10,975 were found guilty of bureaucratism or the practice of formalities for formalities' sake, with 7,299 related cases handled, according to the statement.

During the same month, authorities also investigated 5,932 cases of hedonism and extravagant conduct, such as awarding unauthorized allowances or bonuses and giving or accepting luxurious gifts, with 8,088 officials penalized, said the statement.

The CPC released its eight-point rules on frugality in late 2012 to combat undesirable work practices.