Chinese authorities have arrested Sun Zhigang, the former Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Guizhou Provincial Committee, over allegations of bribe-taking. This was formally announced by the Supreme People’s Procuratorate (SPP) on a recent Thursday.
The National Supervisory Commission (NSC) launched an investigation into the allegations levied against Sun in August 2023. As per their findings disclosed in February, Sun was found to not only be accepting bribes, but also engaging in nepotism and seeking preferential treatment. Furthermore, the acceptance of inappropriate benefits and travel arrangements may have influenced the impartial execution of his official duties.
Sun’s actions were considered to have breached the “two safeguards” principle of the CPC, effectively undermining the authority of the central government. In addition to this, the NSC indicated Sun’s behaviour might also be in contravention with the Regulations on Disciplinary Punishments of the Communist Party of China, the Supervision Law of the People’s Republic of China, and the Law of the People’s Republic of China on Government Punishment of Public Officials. These legislations give CPC the power to remove public officials from office for corruption or bribery.
The development has been announced in the wake of a meeting held on February 6 by the SPP concerning the improvement of anti-corruption work within the government and party. Liu Zhao, leader of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection SPP Supervision Team, emphasized the necessity for the SPP to take responsibility for comprehensively and rigorously supervising investigations directed at corrupt officials.
Sun is currently under the custody of the SPP, who have decided to commence prosecution against him, with the case awaiting further processing.
Refer to the following link for more detailed information regarding the case – Former China Communist Party official arrested on bribery charges.