Deputy tourism chief ousted amid probe

A top official of the National Tourism Administration has been ousted from the Communist Party of China and removed from his post, the latest charges amid an intensified, national anti-graft campaign.

Huo Ke, 54, was put under a graft probe in January, a month after he was named tourism deputy head in December.

The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, China's top anti-corruption authority, said on Wednesday that it had filed a case against Huo with the approval of the Party's central leadership.

Huo was suspected of taking and offering bribes, and leaking Party and State secrets, a statement published on the commission's website said.

"Huo seriously violated the regulations about integrity and self-discipline, misused public power in official promotion procedures and interfered in business operations. In addition, Huo was involved in impeding the investigation," the statement said.

Huo continued such behavior after the central leadership began to clamp down on corruption in late 2012, the statement said. The commission said it will hand over evidence to prosecutors for further investigation.

Huo spent the prime of his career in the General Office of the Communist Party's Central Committee, where Ling Jihua, a senior Party official who had accumulated illicit wealth, was expelled from the Party and removed from his post last month.

Huo served under Ling for more than 10 years as he worked through the ranks to the head of the secretariat of the General Office, then was appointed deputy head of tourism on Dec 16, Beijing News reported.

Huo worked in the National Tourism Administration for only a month. On Jan 16, the top anti-graft authority announced an investigation into his conduct.

Ling, 59, was vice-chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference National Committee and head of the United Front Work Department before he was ousted.

zhang_yi@chinadaily.com.cn