Graft inspectors uncover clues

BEIJING - Discipline inspectors sent by China's central authorities to expose corruption have uncovered "clues" related to wrongdoing, the discipline watchdog of the Communist Party of China (CPC) said on Wednesday.

The CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) said in a statement that inspectors have passed the clues on to the commission and the Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee.

Discipline inspectors were dispatched to Xinhua News Agency, the Ministry of Land and Resources, the Ministry of Commerce, China Three Gorges Corporation (CTGC), and the provinces of Shanxi, Jilin, Anhui, Hunan, Guangdong and Yunnan in late October.

Inspectors concluded a two-month inspection and have started to give feedback to them, the CCDI statement added.

Hou Kai, chief of the inspection team sent to the CTGC, said power abuse in the bidding and contracting of projects, the seizure of multiple apartments, and extravagant official receptions were problems revealed during the inspection.

In a feedback report posted on the CTGC's website on Monday, Hou said discipline inspectors also detected irregularities and a lack of transparency in the corporation's decision-making, as well as communication inefficiencies between officials holding important posts.

The CTGC "sincerely accepts" the feedback and will rectify the issues, the report quoted CTGC chairman Cao Guangjing as saying.

"The CTGC will seriously investigate and punish violations of disciplines and laws and corruption in construction projects as revealed by the discipline inspectors," Cao was quoted as saying.