Former Chongqing political official facing corruption investigation

Sun Zhengcai, the former secretary of Chongqing Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China, has been placed under investigation on suspicion of accepting bribes, according to the Supreme People’s Procuratorate on Monday.

According to the procuratorate, Sun has been placed under “coercive measures”, which may include summons by force, bail, residential surveillance, detention and arrest.

The investigation is underway, the procuratorate said in a statement released on Monday.

In July, the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection launched an investigation into Sun for “serious violations of Party discipline”.

The CCDI said in a news release that Sun betrayed Party principles and ignored the Party code of conduct and rules.

He was found to have seriously violated the CPC’s eightpoint code on frugality and maintaining close ties with the masses, seeking pomp, ostentation and privileges, according to the CCDI.

The CCDI said he was guilty of nepotism and seeking benefits in selection of officials. He was found by the CCDI to have leaked confidential Party information and seriously breached Party rules on integrity.

Moreover, he abused power and used his job to gain benefits for others, then accepted their huge bribes in return, either paid in cash or properties, the CCDI said. He was found to seek substantial benefits for his relatives’ businesses and accepted valuable gifts, the CCDI said.

The anti-graft inspectors also accused Sun of bureaucracy and sloth in work and degradation and power-for-sex trades, according to the CCDI.

Sun totally deviated from the Party spirit and political requirements of senior officials, the CCDI said in the statement, adding that his misconduct betrayed the trust of the CPC Central Committee and the public, inflicting huge harm to the Party and the country with “extremely bad” social influences.

The CCDI transferred the criminal evidence involving his case to judicial authorities for further investigation.

In September, the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee expelled Sun from the Party and dismissed him from public office.