Spotlight shines on ‘holiday corruption’

Central discipline authority steps up efforts to prevent improper behaviors

China’s top anti-graft authority has stepped up efforts to prevent “holiday corruption” and provided ways for the public to provide tips during the two upcoming major holidays.

The Mid-Autumn Festival, which falls on the 15th of this month, and the National Day holiday, which lasts from Oct 1 to 7, are major traditional holidays, and people customarily send gifts to family members and close friends.

Mooncakes, usually served at family gatherings on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, have in recent years, however, been wrapped into gift boxes to serve as holiday benefits for public servants at government expense.

In some cases, luxury items such as watches and high-end wines have been included in mooncake boxes and sent to government officials.

The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, the country’s top anti-graft agency, has set up columns on its website for whistleblowers.

With the few clicks of a button and by providing some basic information, anyone is able to report corruption anonymously.

The top discipline inspection body has encouraged members of the public to report corruption through a variety of channels — including apps such as WeChat — especially in cases of using public money on personal trips, hosting banquets and spending on nightclubs.

A weekly report will be published on the CCDI’s website to make public the cases relating to breaches of the eight-point austerity rules, which were introduced at the end of 2012 with the aim of rejecting extravagance and excessive formalities among Partymembers as well as government officials.

In addition, the Supreme People’s Procuratorate published a notice requiring procuratorates at all levels to earnestly implement the central authorities’ demand to root out the undesirable work practices of functionaries and improprieties in their lifestyles. More than 20 officials at or above vice-ministerial level have been disciplined for such violations since the beginning of this year, according to the CCDI website.