Ex-Xinjiang governor arrested in bribery case

BEIJING: The former governor of the restive Xinjiang region has been formally arrested on accusations of taking bribes following a monthslong investigation, the government said, showing no let-up in President Xi Jinping’s drive to bring the bureaucracy to heel.

Nur Bekri (pic), who most recently headed the National Energy Administration planning agency, will proceed to prosecution and almost certain conviction at trial.

The nation’s top prosecutor said the step was taken on Tuesday after the combined Communist Partygovernment investigatory body completed its work.

Bekri has already been expelled from the party, stripping him of his last protection against prosecution.

He is accused of using his authority to aid others in job placement, business operations and mineral resource development in exchange for large amounts of money and property.

He allegedly abused his power by arranging free rides in luxury vehicles, special drivers and other services for his family members, while living an “extravagant life, coveting greed”.

He is also accused of not being truthful to investigators.

As the governor of the vast, resource-rich northwestern region of Xinjiang and in his later role, Bekri was one of the most senior officials from the predominantly Muslim Uighur ethnic minority.

There is no indication that his arrest was connected to a sweeping security crackdown in Xinjiang, where an estimated one million Uighurs and Kazakhs have been incarcerated in reeducation camps.

Thousands of officials at all levels have been ensnared in Xi’s signature multi-year campaign against corruption that has brought down numerous high-profile political rivals.

Bekri became director of the National Energy Administration in 2014.

He was also deputy chairman of the Cabinet’s economic planning agency, the National Development and Reform Commission.