02/20/2004, 00.00
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Cadres expelled if they join religious groups

Beijing (AsiaNews/Agencies) – A new regulation on the internal supervision of the Chinese Communist Party was issued to fight corruption.

The 178-article regulation is an amendment of a rule introduced in 1997 and sets out a more severe punishment for public and personal activities that violate "socialist moral ethics". It covers all Party members, even retired leaders, who can be removed from their posts or expelled from the Party in cases of severe circumstances. The infractions include opposing party policy, economic crimes such as accepting bribes, keeping of mistresses, watching pornographic shows, visiting prostitutes, gambling and using drugs. Among these, it is also quoted "joining religious groups", which is considered like the other violations. Members who abuse public property, such as travelling in the name of training, studying using public funds or purchasing extravagant cars, or who violate the rights of others (illegally open the mail of others or interfere with the rights of citizens to marry) may be punished.

Central Party School professor Wang Changjiang said the regulations were important because they showed the party was institutionalising measures against corruption.

The Legal Daily reported that about 95 per cent of officials removed for corruption were found to have mistresses. Last year, ex-Yunnan governor Li Jiating was sentenced to death and suspended for two years for accepting 18 million yuan in bribes and obtaining 30 million yuan for his mistress.

In 2001, former deputy minister of public security Li Jizhou was sentenced to death and suspended for two years for accepting more than 1 million yuan and US$ 500,000 in bribes. Li Xiaona, his mistress, was jailed for 10 years for her involvement in the case. (MR)

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