More effective financial disclosure required

NEARLY TWO-THIRDS OF last year’s 34 disciplinary sanctions concerning officials at the ministerial level or above were for corruption involving their families, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Communist Party of China, the nation’s top anti-corruption superviser, said in a statement on Tuesday. Tougher measures are needed to curb outrageous “family corruption”, says Yangtse Evening News:

Complicated interest chains involving both corrupt officials and their relatives form communities of illegal interests in a bid to hide the evidence of their illegal collusion. Such communities of corruption cause greater harm than the corruption of individuals.

Known for its low costs and high yields, family corruption is very hard to trace and curb, due to the inefficient implementation of the financial disclosure mechanism for officials. Most local governments only require their employees to declare, not disclose, their personal wealth, and there is hardly any scrutiny to identify false, obscure, and misleading declarations.

The transparent and authentic disclosure of the financial situations of officials is key to eliminating family corruption. That some local governments turn a blind eye to or refrain from preventing corruption involving the relatives of officials is a threat to integrity of governance.