Former head of religious affairs arrested on suspicion of bribery

Cui Maohu, former director of the National Religious Affairs Administration, has been arrested on suspicion of taking bribes, according to a statement issued by the Supreme People's Procuratorate on Monday.

The National Supervisory Commission has concluded its investigation of him and recently transferred his case to procuratorial organs for examination and prosecution, the statement said.

The statement comes five days after the Communist Party of China Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the NSC announced Cui's expulsion from the Party and removed him from his public posts. He was accused of committing seriously violating Party discipline and national laws.

His qualification as a delegate to the 20th CPC National Congress was also terminated, according to the CCDI and NSC, the nation's top anti-graft watchdogs.

Cui, also served as deputy head of the United Front Work Department of the CPC Central Committee. He was promoted to the posts of director of the National Religious Affairs Administration and deputy head of the United Front Work Department in June 2022 from his role as vice-governor of Yunnan province.

It was determined that Cui failed to commit to implementing the decisions and plans of the Party Central Committee, occupied farmland for vanity projects, and resisted investigations into his performance.

He engaged in practices of extravagance and hedonism, violating the central Party leadership's eight-point decision on improving Party and government conduct, such as accepting invitations to banquets and trips that could affect his impartiality in the performance of official duties. He also failed to report his personal information as required, the watchdogs said.

Furthermore, Cui accepted gifts and money and used his influence to allow his relatives and others to profit from business contracting, the CCDI and NSC said. He also intervened in judicial proceedings and took advantage of his position to seek profit for others in project contracting and in the selection and appointment of officials, accepting huge amounts of money and property in return, they said.

He was placed under discipline review and supervisory investigation in March this year.

Cui, 57, is a native of Yunnan and spent nearly his entire career in the province. He began working as a teacher in Qujing, Yunnan, in 1987.

In 1994, he kicked off his over 20-year career at the Organization Department of the Yunnan Provincial Party Committee. From December 2007 to May 2017, he served as the deputy head of the department.

In May 2021, he was elected vice-governor of Yunnan and served at the post for nearly one year. In June, he was appointed the director of the National Religious Affairs Administration.