Chinese deputy mayor fired for playing golf

BEIJING - A deputy mayor in South China's Fujian province has been removed from his post for playing golf, the anti-graft authority of the Communist Party of China (CPC) revealed Monday, among other cases.

Lin Chunsong of Wuyishan city was expelled from the municipal Party leadership, the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) said in a statement. He will be given another position at township level.

Lin played golf 163 times from June 18, 2013 to August 16, 2015, including 12 times during work time. He also let others pay the fees for his game, local authorities said.

Li Jian, deputy head of the Civil Aviation Administration of China, was given a warning, also for playing golf, the CCDI said.

The CPC central leadership introduced rules in late 2012 to ban extravagance and hedonism. In October this year, revised party rules banned members from holding pompous weddings or funerals, or gaining membership in exclusive clubs through improper means.

The CCDI also exposed five other cases.

Shanghai deputy mayor Zhou Bo was given a "serious warning" for attending banquets paid for with public money.

The Hubei Local Taxation Bureau's deputy head Deng Guoqiang was removed from his post for attending banquets and entertainment activities against party rules.

Zhang Jianfei, deputy governor of Hunan Province, and Zhou Jing, publicity chief of Binzhou city in Shandong Province both received serious warnings for organizing trips and banquets with public money.

Li Baode, deputy chief of the forestry department of Liaoning Province received the same punishment for holding pompous funerals for his mother-in-law and his father, and a grand wedding for his son.