Former Guangdong official investigated for corruption

The country's top anti-graft body has required that the Guangdong Provincial Party Commission of Discipline Inspection further investigate a retired senior official from the province's Party Organization Department for suspected serious violation of Party discipline and laws.

Lin Cunde, former executive deputy head of the Guangdong Party Organization Department, was taken away by anti-graft officials at the end of September for involvement in the case of Wan Qingliang, according to caixin.com.

Wan, a former member of the Standing Committee of the Guangdong Provincial Party Committee and Party chief of Guangzhou, was investigated and sacked at the end of June for serious violation of Party discipline and taking bribes.

The country's anti-graft body has also transferred Wan's testimony alleging corruption by Lin to the Guangdong Provincial Party Commission of Discipline Inspection for further investigation, caixin.com reported.

Officials from Guangdong's top anti-graft body did not comment on the case.

Lin's case has raised great concern at home and abroad and rocked the political arena in the prosperous province of Guangdong, which borders the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions, as Lin is the husband of Zhao Yufang, deputy governor of Guangdong.

Zhao, 59, was promoted to the deputy governor position in 2011 from director general of the Guangdong provincial department of land resources. She is mainly in charge of foreign trade, ports, foreign affairs, tourism, overseas Chinese affairs, Hong Kong and Macao affairs and Taiwan affairs.

Lin had been retired for about a year when he was taken away by the anti-graft body.

Having previously been in charge of assessing and promoting local officials, Lin was investigated for having very close relations with officials who recently came under investigation in Guangdong, caixin.com reported.

Before Lin retired, he took charge of the re-election of Guangdong's more than 20 prefecture-level cities in 2011.

After Lin was investigated, Liang Yimin, Party chief of Maoming, a coastal city in the west of Guangdong, was also taken away by anti-graft officials for further investigation of alleged serious violations of Party discipline on Oct 10.

The Guangdong provincial anti-graft body has announced it has put on file to further probe Liang's case, according to caixin.com.

Liang was mayor of Maoming before he was promoted to be the city's Party chief in February 2013.

He is the third Party chief of Maoming to be sacked in the past decade. The corruption case that involves more than 200 local Party and government officials has shaken the entire country.

Zhou Zhenhong, a former member of the Standing Committee of the Guangdong Provincial Party Committee and director general of the Guangdong Provincial Department of United Front Work, was sacked and investigated by anti-graft officials from the central government in January 2012.

Zhou was Party chief of Maoming before he was promoted to become a member of the Standing Committee of the Guangdong Provincial Party Committee. Zhou's successor Luo Yinguo was sacked in January 2011.

Both Zhou and Luo were sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve.