The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Communist Party of China (CPC) on Monday announced that a number of local officials, involving in scandals of buying public and Party official posts with bribery in elections, have been severely punished.

The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the CPC, together with the Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee, held a press conference Monday to notify the general public some of the scandals on buying public and party official posts with bribery in elections of local Party committees that are undergoing personnel adjustment.

According to the information released by the press conference, the officials, including Lei Yingquan, former head of investment division of the Finance Department under the Sichuan Provincial People's Government, Shao Jianwei, former director of the Public Security Bureau of the Linfen City, Shanxi Province, Wu Bao'an, former secretary of the Yicheng County Committee of the CPC, Shanxi Province, Yin Liming, deputy magistrate of the Lianghe County, Yunnan Province, have been severely punished in line with laws and Party discipline for buying or selling official posts.

Among them, Wu Bao'an has been sentenced 15 years in prison in July 2005for taking bribes. According to the court ruling, from April 2000 to May 2004, the defendant Wu took advantages of his posts as the magistrate of Yicheng County, Shanxi Province and secretary of the Yicheng County Committee of the CPC to help 28 persons be promoted or obtain illicit interests after accepting bribes worth of 888,000 yuan.

General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee Hu Jintao once stressed that selecting qualified officials and giving them proper posts are vital to maintaining the advanced nature of the Marxist ruling Party and consolidating the ruling status of the CPC.

"Corruptions, which emerged in personnel adjustment, may shake and undermine the CPC's ruling foundation and capacity," said Wu Jiang, president of the Chinese Academy of Personnel Science in an interview with Xinhua, adding that the corruption is easier to occur when local Party committees are engaged in the re-election.

Liu Xirong, deputy secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the CPC said at the press conference that the re-elections of the local Party Committees has come to a crucial moment, and the CPC will strengthen the supervision over and inspection on the re-elections of local Party committees and strictly enforce discipline, so as to resolutely prevent the corruption and adjust the wrongdoing in official promotion and election.

He said the officials who are found acquiring official posts through illegitimate means will be criticized and punished and will no longer be promoted. Those who have already obtained higher official posts by briberies will be demoted. The officials who took charge in discipline supervision but failed to spot the wrongdoing in official promotion will also be dealt with for their breach of duty.

He stressed that in future, officials, who are found selling or buying official posts with bribery in elections or other illicit activities for promotion, will be demoted and ascertained legal and disciplinary responsibilities.

(Xinhua News Agency January 23, 2006)