China's anti-graft bodies sanction former Hainan official

Xiao Jie, former vice-chairman of the Standing Committee of the Hainan Provincial People's Congress, has been expelled from the Communist Party for serious violations of discipline and law, China's top anti-graft authorities said on Saturday.

In a statement, the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Commission of Supervision said an investigation found Xiao resisted organizational scrutiny and violated the central Party leadership's eight-point decision on improving conduct by improperly accepting gifts and attending banquets that could have affected the impartial performance of his duties.

Xiao also sought benefits for others in the selection and appointment of officials, used his authority to secure interests for relatives, and bore significant leadership responsibility for the excessive distribution of agricultural machinery subsidies by an organization under his supervision, it said.

The statement said Xiao had shown no regard for discipline or law and extensively interfered in construction projects by abusing the authority of his top leadership positions. He engaged in power-for-money transactions, used his positions to help others obtain subsidies and project contracts, and illegally accepted large amounts of money and valuables in return.

Xiao, who was placed under investigation in February, seriously violated the Party's political, organizational, integrity and work disciplines, committed serious duty-related violations and is suspected of accepting bribes, the statement said.

Xiao was also stripped of the benefits he had been entitled to and disqualified as a delegate to the eighth Hainan Provincial Congress of the CPC. His case and related assets were transferred to procuratorial authorities for review.

Xiao, 65, is a native of Guangdong province and spent much of his career in Hainan. He previously served as director of the Hainan provincial departments of science and technology and agriculture, as a member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Hainan Provincial Committee and secretary of its Political and Legal Affairs Commission, as well as Party chief and mayor of Sansha.

He later served as head of the provincial united front work department before being appointed vice-chairman of the Standing Committee of the Hainan Provincial People's Congress in 2021 before retiring in 2023.