Former Heilongjiang official expelled from Party for grave violations

Li Haitao, former vice-chairman of the Heilongjiang Provincial Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, has been expelled from the Party and dismissed from his post for serious violations of Party disciplines and laws, announced the country's top anti-graft watchdogs on Thursday.

With approval from the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Communist Party of China and the National Supervisory Commission have initiated a case review and investigation into Li's serious disciplinary and legal violations, according to a statement from their official website.

Li was disloyal to the Party and dishonest, and he resisted the investigation conducted by the Party organizations, the statement said.

He was found to have engaged in superstitious activities and to have violated the eight-point regulation.

The watchdogs found that he violated regulations by frequenting private clubs and accepting banquet invitations, and he failed to provide truthful explanations during their inquiries, the statement said.

He also accepted gifts, cash and gift cards, arranging for subordinates to reimburse and pay for his personal expenses.

He used his authority to seek benefits for family business activities, condoning and allowing family members to exploit his official influence for personal gain.

Taking advantage of his position, Li unlawfully accepted large sums of money to benefit companies and people in project development, enterprise management and post placement.

Li's qualification as a delegate to the 13th Heilongjiang Provincial Party Congress was also revoked, and his ill-gotten gains were confiscated, the statement said.

He has been referred to the procuratorate for investigation and prosecution of suspected criminal offenses, with all assets involved transferred accordingly.