Shanxi's efforts against graft commended

Corrupt Party chiefs from five cities and 18 counties in Shanxi province have been held accountable over the past two years, under the nationwide anti-graft campaign.

Wang Rulin, the province's top official, commended the anti-graft efforts that have borne fruit since September 2014, in an interview with the website of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, a transcript of which was published on Tuesday.

"The tendency toward corruption in Shanxi province has turned a corner, and the government is taking a tough stance on any corrupt behavior," Wang said in the interview with the top anti-graft watchdog in the country.

Communications between Party authorities and officials are crucial to preventing misconduct and nipping corruption in the bud, he said in the interview.

"Between September 2014 and April this year, 5,646 people have come clean about their violations of Party discipline, and the account for returned illicit money, such as bribes, has received more than 170 million yuan ($26 million)."

Sweeping nationwide anti-graft initiatives that began in late 2012 snared a long list of officials in the province, most of whom were in charge of distributing Shanxi's coal resources.

Seven provincial-level officials were investigated in 2014 - with about one-third of Shanxi's top decision-making body.

In addition, 45 city-level officials and a total of 15,450 officials were disciplined in Shanxi during that year.

Ling Jihua, a former State level official who was from Shanxi province, was prosecuted last month for allegedly taking bribes, illegally obtaining State secrets and abuse of power.

Along with Ling's downfall, the so-called Shanxi Gang, a cabal of corrupt officials from the province, has been broken up and is often held up as a warning for all government officials to avoid being part of "cabals and cliques".