Qinghai official expelled from Party, removed from office after violations

Wen Guodong, former deputy governor of Northwest China's Qinghai province, has been expelled from the Communist Party of China and removed from public office for violating political discipline and laws, China's top anti-graft watchdogs said on Monday.

Wen, who also once served as Party chief of the Haixi Mongolian-Tibetan autonomous prefecture and the Qaidam Circular Economy Pilot Zone in Qinghai province, was put under investigation for suspected serious violations of discipline and laws after he surrendered to disciplinary authorities last year.

The investigation carried out by the CPC's Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Supervisory Commission showed that Wen acted as a "protective umbrella" for illegal coal mining in the province and used his power to seek profits for companies in illicit mining.

According to the statement released on Monday, Wen abused his power to benefit others in the contracts of the mining construction project, and illegally accepted huge amounts of money and property in return.

The statement said his dereliction of supervision duty in illicit mining in the Muli coal field in the province's Qilian Mountains has led to continuing illegal mining activities.

Wen not only accepted gifts and banquet invitations from private companies but also was dishonest to the Party when he was asked about these issues, the statement added.

Wen's illicit gains will be confiscated and he will face prosecution according to the law.

The 52-year-old Wen started his career as a teacher in a primary school in Qinghai's Huangzhong county. He became deputy head of Haixi Mongolian-Tibetan autonomous prefecture in 2009 and moved to be deputy Party chief of Yushu prefecture in Qinghai one year later. He stepped up to be Party chief of Yushu in 2013 and moved back to Haixi in 2015. He became deputy governor of Qinghai in July 2020, two months before he was placed under investigation.