Special funding undergoes audit

estate development or office expenditures, the report found, while 54,900 families that were not qualified for affordable houses passed local government verification.

“The corruption of low-level officials is a problem in areas closely related to people’s livelihoods,” said Hu, adding that auditors had found 450 corrupt grassroots officials involved in more than 300 cases connected with poverty relief, social security and ecology protection in the past year.

The National Audit Office has transferred evidence to judicial departments on more than 600 disciplinary or legal violations, involving about 1,100 officials, in the past year, Hu said.

Jiang Jianghua, director of the audit science research institute under the National Audit Office, said that the shift of attention in this year’s “audit storm”, which put more importance on people’s livelihoods, would bring the public practical benefits.

Wang Dehua, director of the audit research office at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said the audit work is consistent with the emphasis of the central leadership.

“As China is strengthening efforts in building a moderately prosperous society, the government has attached more attention to people’s livelihoods. Stricter scrutiny over such areas can help the government better achieve the target,” he said.

Wang also said that the central government not only audits the use of the funds but also pays attention to the qualification of those who benefit, which is also key to ensuring the funds are used properly.