China sacks Party official after colleague-slapping scandal

ZHENGZHOU -- The Party chief of a central Chinese city has been sacked after an online article accused him of publicly humiliating a colleague with a slap in the face.

Zhang Zhanwei was removed from his post as secretary of the Jiyuan Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), announced the CPC committee of Henan province on Thursday.

On Jan 16, a post surfaced on China's social media claiming that Zhang scolded the city government secretary-general at a canteen before slapping him in the face. The offense allegedly led to the assaulted official having a heart attack.

The post, allegedly written by the secretary-general's wife, sparked criticism of Zhang's behavior.

On Monday, the provincial government of Henan said it had noticed the post and was investigating the case.