China exposes cases of official decadence

BEIJING - The top disciplinary arm of the Communist Party of China (CPC) detailed ten cases on Tuesday of official decadence in the campaign against extravagance.

The officials received punishment ranging from sacking to warnings for breaches of the eight- point anti-bureaucracy and waste guidelines announced by the central authorities late last year, according to a statement from the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI).

The officials spent excessivly on receptions, used government vehicles for private purposes, made unnecessary trips in China and abroad using public money, and held excessively large wedding banquets, the statement said. Other cases included giving and receiving gifts during holidays, using public money for luxuries, and indolence.

Fu Xiaoguang, a provincial-level official in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, was demoted for drinking alcohol with public funds, resulted in the death of one of his associates.

Hu Chunhe, head of the provincial tobacco monopoly bureau in Guangdong, received an administrative warning for purchasing a luxury vehicle. The car has since been sold at public auction.

The CCDI has asked officials at various levels to implement the "eight-point" guidelines during the upcoming New Year and Spring Festival holidays.

Discipline agencies at all levels are urged to strengthen supervision and expose such cases in a timely manner, according to the statement.

A total of 32 such cases have been exposed in 2013.