China's top graft buster exposes official decadence

BEIJING - The top disciplinary arm of the Communist Party of China (CPC) named and shamed officials in 90 cases of misconduct on Thursday.

The CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) published on its website names of officials involved in accepting bribes, embezzling public funds, abusing power for personal gain and misappropriating state allowances or subsidies, among other violations.

Those on the list are mainly low-level bureaucrats, ranging from village chiefs to county heads. Punishments include warnings, demotions, dismissals, and expulsion from the CPC.

In one case, Yuan Weizhong, former Party chief of Xiguan Village of Jinzhou City in northeast China's Liaoning Province, was expelled from the CPC for misappropriating public funds and swindling state subsidies.

China has been working hard to rein in corruption and instill more discipline in its civil servants, in response to public complaints over officials' behavior.

The CCDI established a monthly reporting system in August 2013 to monitor nationwide implementation of the "eight-point rules," which were introduced on Dec. 4, 2012 by the CPC to reduce bureaucracy, extravagance, and undesirable work habits.