Shaanxi ID thief fired from govt education job

A government employee who was exposed for stealing the identity of a school classmate in northwestern China 20 years ago has been fired, Xinhua News Agency reported on Saturday.

Authorities in Shaanxi province have punished Li Min along with her mother, a middle school principal and several officials who either aided the deception or failed to spot it.

Investigations by disciplinary and supervisory commissions in Sanyuan county found that Li’s mother, surnamed Wen, wanted her daughter to attend a vocational school in September 1998, but the girl did not qualify.

Wen enlisted her daughter’s middle school principal, surnamed Wang, and a recruitment officer at the vocational school, surnamed Xi, who swapped Li’s school record with that of her classmate, Jing Gaofeng — who did qualify.

Li obtained an ID card in Jing’s name shortly after starting work at another school. After graduating in 2001, she was hired by a kindergarten and later began working for the local education bureau.

Authorities confirmed that Li had been fired and that her case had been passed to the police for criminal investigation. Her mother, a Party member, received a serious warning, which could affect her career prospects.

Wang, now retired, had his pension benefits cut as punishment. Xi, the recruitment officer, has been demoted and expelled from the Party.

A recruitment officer with the county educational bureau has been demoted, with another given a serious warning. A former admissions officer involved was punished with a reduction in his pension benefits, Xinhua reported.