China punishes over 16,000 officials for frugality violations

BEIJING -- A total of 16,731 Chinese officials were punished in August for violating frugality rules, according to the top anti-graft body on Sunday.

The officials were involved in 11,259 cases, said a statement issued by the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Supervisory Commission.

The punished officials include 28 at the prefecture or equivalent level, and 859 at the county or equivalent level, according to the statement.

Among them, 10,143 were found guilty of bureaucratism or the practice of formalities for the sake of it, and 6,693 related cases were handled.

Meanwhile, authorities also investigated 4,566 cases of hedonism and extravagant conduct, such as giving or accepting gifts, awarding unauthorized allowances or bonuses, and misusing public funds for banquets, and penalized 6,588 officials, said the statement.

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