Liaoning official punished for fraud

A former vice-governor of Liaoning province has been expelled from the Communist Party of China and his post for serious disciplinary violations such as electoral fraud, the country's top anti-graft watchdog announced on Monday.

Two other former vice-ministerial-level officials-one from Jiangsu province and the other from Hunan province-have been officially charged with taking bribes, the top procuratorate, the Supreme People's Procuratorate, said in another release on Monday.

Liu Qiang, 54, abused his power to organize electoral fraud to get himself elected as a provincial vice-governor, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection said in a statement. Liu, the former Party chief of Fushun in Liaoning province, was elected as the vice-governor of the province during the annual session of the provincial people's congress in 2013.

He had been taking bribes and selling official posts for a long period of time, which severely damaged the local political environment. He also helped secure benefits for businesses run by his relatives and exchanged power for sex, the CCDI said.

In addition, Liu, a member of the Standing Committee of CPC Liaoning Committee, was involved in superstitious activities and resisted investigations. He also visited private clubs, which was against the Party's discipline rules and misused government vehicles, according to the statement.

"As a senior Party official, Liu lost his faith and the sense of purpose. He also allowed his selfish desire to expand indefinitely," the CCDI said in the statement.

Liu is suspected of the crimes of undermining elections and accepting bribes. His case will be further investigated in accordance with the law, it said.

Liaoning has been severely criticized for electoral fraud in the provincial legislature reshuffle in 2011 and the election of deputies to the National People's Congress-the national legislature-in 2013.

Also on Monday, the Supreme People's Procuratorate announced that Li Yunfeng, former executive vice-governor of Jiangsu province, and Zhang Wenxiong, former head of the publicity department of CPC Hunan Committee, had both been prosecuted for graft.