China provincial boss expelled from party for graft

BEIJING, Nov 5 (Reuters) A provincial vice-governor has been expelled from China's ruling Communist Party and removed from office for taking bribes and abusing power, the latest casualty of a nationwide crackdown on corruption.

The Beijing Times said today that the party's anti-graft Central Commission for Discipline Inspection had found He Minxu, vice-governor of the eastern province of Anhui, guilty of taking bribes worth several million yuan (several hundred thousand dollars).

The case of He, who was taken into custody in June, is one of many lurid corruption scandals to have come out of Anhui.

Several former judges were tried last month for taking bribes while serving in the province's city of Fuyang.

Quoting the official Anhui Daily newspaper, the Beijing Times said He abused his power by offering cheap land, tax cuts and job promotions to people who paid their way.

''He's suspected crimes will be handled by the judicial organisations,'' said the paper.

State media reported in July that He was questioned for accepting 300,000 yuan (,500) in bribes from a real estate developer from the wealthy coastal province of Zhejiang.

He is the latest high-ranking official to be netted by this year's corruption purge. A vice-governor is equivalent to a Cabinet vice-minister.

In late September, Shanghai Communist Party chief Chen Liangyu was sacked for channelling pension funds into illegal investments and helping enrich crony companies and relatives.

An ally of former Chinese President Jiang Zemin, Chen was the first member of the party's 24-strong, decision-making Politburo to lose his seat since 1995, when Beijing party boss Chen Xitong was purged and jailed.

REUTERS PB VC0922