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Advisors want details about recovered money

By Wang Zhenghua (chinadaily.com.cn)

Updated: 2015-03-06 17:38:47

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Political advisers at the "two sessions" demanded to know where the money recovered in anti-corruption campaign or saved in frugality drive has been used.

According to Xinhua news agency, the use of money found from corrupt officials became a hot topic at a group discussion among political advisors not affiliated to any political parties Thursday.

Deputies also requested to know the whereabouts of money saved following the CPC Central Committee's eight-point guideline in 2012 that required government officials to get closer to the people through cleaning up undesirable work styles, including extravagancy, formalism and bureaucracy.

"A lot of money was saved because of the eight-point rule and lots of it was recovered in the anti-corruption drive. I want to know where it has all gone," said Tian Zhongqun, a national political adviser and a professor of Xiamen University.

His concerns were echoed by Xia Yuhong, an engineer from China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology.

"I often hear such questions," Xia said. "Although I am a political adviser, it is hard for me to tell people how the money found in anti-corruption drive has anything to do with the public."

Justin Yifu Lin, a renowned economist, tried to answer these questions during the group discussion, saying that the anti-corruption actions concern the public.

"There are fixed budget in the government administrative fees, education expenditure and expenses in public construction," he said. "If this money was used to pay for officials' recreational activities or embezzled as their own money, there would be less investment in the public construction or education."

The public will be indirectly impacted if officials pocket bribes from business owners, he added.

Xiamen University's Tian proposed to return the possessions illegally collected by corrupt officials to the public by investing the money in education or pollution treatment in rural areas.

Lin said the money saved in frugality drive may not be issued to the public, but the anti-corruption campaigns will ensure that the money will be spent on their original projects.

"It's a good advice that the country needs to increase investment to improve people's livelihood and allay the dissatisfaction with corruption," he added.