Over 4,900 officials punished for frugality violations in March

BEIJING - More than 4,900 officials were punished in March for violating the Party's eight-point frugality code, according to the top anti-graft body of the Communist Party of China Monday.

They were involved in 3,516 cases across the country, according to a statement issued by the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the national supervisory commission.

Of the cases, 807 were related to unauthorized issuing of subsidies or welfare, 600 were related to giving out or accepting gifts or money, 574 were related to unauthorized use of official cars, 453 were related to using public funds for banquets, and 426 were related to holding lavish weddings or funerals.

Other cases were related to travelling with public funds and building offices without authorization.

Among those punished were 74 officials at prefecture or equivalent level, and 561 officials at county or equivalent level.

In 2012, central authorities issued the frugality code, requiring government officials to practice strict frugality and to clean up undesirable work styles such as formalism, bureaucratism, hedonism and extravagance.

In the first quarter, a total of 14,141 officials involved in 10,090 such cases were punished, according to the statement.

The top anti-graft body has a monthly reporting system with provincial-level governments, the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, central Party and government agencies, centrally administered state-owned enterprises and central financial institutions.