Ex-Vice president of Agricultural Bank of China expelled from Communist Party for corruption

Beijing, Nov 20 (PTI) The ruling Communist Party of China on Wednesday expelled Lou Wenlong, the former vice president of the Agricultural Bank of China, from the party for corruption.

The decision was handed down following an investigation launched by the Communist Party of China Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Commission of Supervision, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported, quoting an official statement.

Lou was found to have deliberately resisted the investigation of his case and violated the party's frugality code by attending banquets that were paid for using public funds or that may influence the fair execution of official duties, the statement said.

He has also failed to truthfully report personal matters while seeking benefits for others in terms of job promotion, it said.

He also took advantage of his positions to seek benefits for others in matters such as regulatory approvals, shareholding and financing, and accepted huge amounts of money and valuables in return, according to the statement.

His illicit gains will be confiscated, in addition to his expulsion from the CPC, and the case will be referred to the procuratorate for criminal investigation and prosecution, the statement said.

Since he came to power in 2012, President Xi Jinping has carried out a massive anti-corruption campaign in which over a million officials, including two former defence ministers and dozens of top military officers, were punished.

In August, Li Jianping, a former Chinese Communist Party official from the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region who was accused of embezzling a staggering USD 421 million - the largest single corruption case in China’s history, was sentenced to death by a local court.

Critics say the anti-graft campaign enabled Xi, who continued in power for an unprecedented third five-year term, to consolidate his hold on the party and the military. PTI KJV ZH ZH