China detains vice governor for graft - group

HONG KONG, June 29 (Reuters) China has detained a vice governor of the eastern province of Anhui for taking bribes, close on the heels of the sacking of a vice mayor of Beijing on similar grounds, a Hong Kong-based watchdog today said.

He Minxu, 50, was taken into custody by the ruling Communist Party's internal corruption monitor, the discipline inspection commission, on Monday for allegedly accepting 300,000 yuan in bribes from a businessman, the Information Centre for Human Rights and Democracy said in a statement.

An officer at the provincial government declined to confirm or discuss the issue. Another official at the provincial party office said he had heard of the case, but could not comment.

The provincial discipline inspection commission said it could not discuss such issues.

He would not be the first vice governor of Anhui to have gotten into trouble over graft. In 2003, former Anhui Vice Governor Wang Huaizhong was sentenced to death for accepting bribes and holding a large amount of assets he could not account for.

Earlier this month, Beijing Vice Mayor Liu Zhihua was sacked on the orders of China's Communist Party chief and President Hu Jintao, and is accused of corruption and bad morals.

Liu was responsible for urban planning and awarding 40 billion dollars worth of projects ahead of the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

The party has said corruption threatens its very existence and has waged campaigns to try to root out crooked officials.

Reuters SY DB0952