Chinese prosecutors have untangled a jobs-for-money network run by a corrupt official in Chaohu City in east Anhui Province, which led to the dismissal of 14 officials.

Zhou Guangquan, the former Communist Party secretary of Chaohu city, was accused of accepting bribes worth 5 million yuan (about 735,000 US dollars) on June 3.

Prosecutors then discovered that among the 36 people who bribed Zhou when he was secretary of the Communist Party of China Chaohu City Committee from 2000 to 2004, 19 were government officials.

The 19 officials were promoted after giving Zhou bribes. Zhou was also charged with failing to account for the sources of his 3 million yuan of property. The Anqing City Intermediate People's Court has yet to announce the verdict.

Among the 19 officials, 14 were removed from their posts ranging from vice mayor of Chaohu to deputy director of Chaohu city Public Security Bureau.

Dai Longshen, the sacked deputy director of the public security bureau, told a Xinhua reporter that he sometimes gave Zhou cash out of "brother-like respect".

However, prosecutors discovered that from 1995 to 2008, Dai gave 46,000 yuan in total to Zhou. He got two promotions with the help of Zhou in 2000 and 2002 as payback.

A network composed of entrepreneurs and officials emerged after Zhou stood trial. The feature of the network was the exchange of money for personal gains.

Chinese disciplinary organs have punished 2,386 officials at or above prefectural level for their misconduct from July 2003 to December 2008, according to the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI).

Other 29,905 officials at county level were also punished during the same period, the CCDI said.

(Xinhua News Agency June 18, 2009)