After China adopted its stimulus package, party officials jumped on the opportunity to embezzle money or get bribes on construction projects. “If we don't take tough measures, it will be hard to suppress this,” government official says.

Beijing (AsiaNews/Agencies) – The Chinese government has disclosed widespread corruption linked to its 4 trillion yuan (US$ 575 billion) stimulus package, announcing that more than 3,000 officials have been punished for taking bribes, embezzlement and other abuses.

Deputy Supervision Minister Hao Mingjin made the announcement yesterday during a press conference. He said that 3,058 officials, including several mayors, had received penalties ranging up to life in prison for offences related to the stimulus spending or to construction projects.

The declaration has confirmed what many in the population and among top government officials knew intuitively, namely that widespread graft within the Communist Party is the main threat to the survival of the one-party dictatorship.

Fu Kui, head of the ministry's enforcement department, said, “We will tackle corruption with a heavy fist. Today, with many corruption cases likely to happen, if we don't take tough measures, it will be hard to suppress this.”

The stimulus was adopted to maintain a higher level of growth, which jumped to 11.9 per cent in the first quarter of this year. It pumped money into the economy through public works and credit to consumers in order to sustain the market, which might otherwise have suffered from the financial crisis.

However, many economists have called on the authorities to reduce credit to cool prices before inflation gets out of hand.

• china
• inflation
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• corruption
• graft
• crackdown
• communist
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