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4,500 officials report shares in coal mines
By Jiang Zhuqing (China Daily)
Updated: 2005-11-02 05:41
China's latest move to bring an end to collusion between government officials
and colliery owners a major cause of frequent coal mine accidents has seen
"initial success," it was revealed yesterday.
By October 20, 4,578 officials had reported investment in coal mines
totalling 653 million yuan (US$80.5 million), said Vice-Minister of Supervision
Chen Changzhi at a press conference.
Of the amount, 473 million yuan (US$56 million) has been withdrawn, Chen
said, while summing up the two-month drive by four ministerial departments to
clear collieries of officials' investment.
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Rescuers carry the
body of a dead miner at a coal mine in Yuanping City, North China's Shanxi
Province October 31, 2005.Thirteen miners were killed in a gas blast and
two others were killed in the following rescue efforts.
[newsphoto]
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Those who have withdrawn shares from coal mines include 3,002 civil servants
and 1,576 heads of State-owned enterprises. They would be exempted from
punishment, said Chen.
But criminal or disciplinary penalties would be meted out to those who
invested in coal mines using money generated through bribery or other illegal
channels.
The four departments involved are the Ministry of Supervision, the Central
Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Communist Party of China, the
State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration of the State Council, and the
State Administration of Work Safety (SAWS)
Starting late August, the departments launched a joint drive to clear coal
mines of shares held by officials, setting October 20 as the deadline.
Lured by huge profits, some officials have abused their power to provide
protection umbrellas to owners of illegally-run collieries lacking the basic
guarantees for miners' safety, said Li Yizhong, head of SAWS.
Collusion was particularly rampant in privately-owned mines, experts said.
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