2 ex-Shaanxi officials expelled from CPC

Two former senior officials in Shaanxi province were expelled from the Communist Party of China for serious violations of Party disciplinary rules and State laws over the weekend, the country's top anti-graft watchdogs said.

Zhao Zhengyong, former Party chief of Shaanxi and a former senior national legislator, was expelled from the CPC for serious violations of disciplines and laws, the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Supervisory Commission said in a statement.

Zhao had been under investigation by both commissions for almost a year. He was expelled from his public office in March.

Zhao strayed from his ideals and convictions and was disloyal to the Party, according to a statement jointly issued by the watchdogs on Saturday.

The investigation found that Zhao performed his duty perfunctorily, resisted investigation by the authorities, sought privileges waywardly and allowed his relatives to interfere in personnel promotions, the statement said.

It also said Zhao abused his power to seek benefits for others in terms of job promotions, energy resource exploration and utilization, business activities and project contracting and received a huge amount of gifts and money in return.

Zhao violated the Party's disciplinary standards on politics, organization, clean governance and life, and was suspected of taking bribes, the statement said.

Chen Guoqiang, former vice-governor of Shaanxi province, was also expelled from the Party and dismissed from public office over serious violations of Party discipline and State laws, the watchdogs announced on Saturday.

They said in a statement that Chen lost his ideals and convictions, was disloyal to and dishonest with the Party, played up to people of power to seek personal promotion and resisted investigation by the authorities.

Chen violated CPC policy by accepting banquet invitations and free travel offers, and he sought profit for others in business operations and personnel promotions while illegally accepting huge amounts of property in return, according to the statement.

Chen also violated the Party's political and organizational rules and its policy on upholding integrity, it said.

Zhao and Chen were disqualified as delegates to the 13th CPC Shaanxi Provincial Congress, with their illicit gains confiscated. Their cases will be transferred to the procuratorate for further investigation and prosecution, the watchdogs said.

The Shaanxi provincial Party committee and the Party leading group of the provincial government held separate meetings on Saturday to convey the decisions on the two former officials, Shaanxi Daily, the provincial Party newspaper, reported.

The meetings called on Party members to learn a lesson from their cases, it said.