Five sacked for poverty relief irregularities

Five local officials in Hebei province have been sacked for embezzling poverty relief funds or failing to implement anti-poverty programs in their region, China's top disciplinary watchdog said on Wednesday.

During a recent survey, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and Hebei's provincial disciplinary body found that local officials from the city of Zhangjiakou, and its Yuxian and Kangbao counties, had been slacking off in their poverty alleviation efforts, according to a statement from the CCDI. The CCDI also asked for a rectification effort to solve all the issues.

In September and October, the inspection found 441 problems in the city's poverty alleviation program, including embezzling of relief funds, faking records, bureaucracy, incompetence, inadequate supervision, accepting bribes, and other violations of rules and regulations, the statement said.