Former Wuhan Party official removed from office, faces prosecution

Zhou Bin, former deputy secretary of the Commission for Political and Legal Affairs of the Party Committee of Wuhan in Central China's Hubei province, was expelled from the Party and removed from public office on suspicion of disciplinary and law violations, China's anti-graft watchdogs announced on Monday.

Zhou has accepted gifts and money that might affect the fair execution of official duties, engaged in profit-making activities against regulations and owned shares in non-listed companies, violating the discipline of integrity, according to a statement released by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and National Supervisory Commission, adding that he often participated in poker games with real money.

He violated laws and used the convenience of his post to seek profits for other people and abused his power to gain illegitimate interests for others. He also illegally accepted a huge number of properties from others and is suspected of the crime of bribery, it said.

Zhou also used his judicial powers to release serious criminals on parole who did not meet parole conditions, it added.

"As an official of politics and law and a Party member, Zhou Bin completely lost his aspirations. He knew the law but still broke the law and abused powers when enforcing it, acting as a 'protective umbrella' for crimes and evil," the statement said.

"He has insatiable personal desires and accepted bribes, causing severe consequences and thus should be dealt with seriously," it added.

The statement said Zhou will face prosecution according to law.

Born in 1960 in Harbin, Northeast China's Heilongjiang province, Zhou joined the Communist Party in 1985 and served as an assistant inspector at Wuhan People's Procuratorate from 1982 to 1992.

From 1994 to 1997, he worked as the director of the Procuratorate's general office and became the vice-president of the Wuhan Intermediate People's Court from 2003 and 2011. He began his post as deputy secretary of Wuhan city's Politics and Law Committee in 2011.

Zhou Bin also is a member of the 13th City Committee of Wuhan of the Communist Party of China.