Gansu official denies adultery allegation

An official in Zhangye, Gansu province responded on Monday to an allegation of adultery on the city's official website and said he will sue the blogger who published the rumor.

A whistle-blowing post on the government official blog on Sunday said Wang Xinghe, deputy director of the Political and Legal Affairs Committee in Zhangye, had affairs with scores of women during the marriage and brought them home to stay overnight. The post asked the relevant department to investigate the case and punish his misconduct. The post was removed on Monday morning.

The committee responded on Monday and confirmed Wang's position. It said he is responsible for the committee's publicity and is in charge of the blog. The department posted a notice on the blog saying that the investigation on the allegation is underway.

Wang posted a personal statement on the blog saying that he married twice and now is divorcing his second wife, but he denied affairs with other women. Wang said he is ready to face investigators.

Chinese law doesn't define adultery as a crime, but the regulations of the Communist Party of China and rules for public servants prohibit officials from committing adultery.

In many cases, the practice has been related to corruption. According to the court verdicts, former railways Minister Liu Zhijun had 18 mistresses, "including actresses, nurses and train stewards," and Chongqing Beibei District Party Secretary Lei Zhengfu's 13-year sentence for corruption was preceded by a sex tape.

Officials who commit adultery will be removed from their positions and expelled from the Party, as such behavior is not tolerated under the party's discipline codes.