China punishes 5,759 officials in April for violating austerity rules

BEIJING -- The top anti-graft body of the Communist Party of China (CPC) said that 5,759 officials were punished in April for violating Party austerity rules.

The officials were involved in 3,922 cases, said the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) in a statement.

Awarding an unauthorized allowance or bonus was the most common misdemeanor, followed by giving or accepting gifts and misuse of public vehicles.

A total of 19,900 officials involved in 14,012 cases were punished in the first four months of 2018, the CCDI said.

The CPC released its eight-point rules on austerity in late 2012 to reduce undesirable work practices.

The CCDI has a monthly reporting system on the implementation of the austerity rules within provincial-level governments, central Party and government agencies, centrally administered state-owned enterprises and central financial institutions.