Xinhua,
September 30, 2015
Around 3,100 officials were formally reprimanded for violating austerity rules in August, bringing the total number of those punished this year to 17,000, the Communist Party of China’s (CPC) top anti-graft body said on Wednesday.
The officials punished last month were implicated in over 3,200 cases, about a fifth of which involved unauthorized allowances and subsidies, the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) said in a report on its website.
Other violations included unapproved use of public vehicles, illicit gift giving and receiving as well as overly lavish weddings and funerals.
China has been working hard in recent years to rein in corruption and instil greater working discipline in civil servants, with the public long complaining of officials tapping expenses accounts to sightsee abroad, drive work vehicles on personal errands, and enjoy luxurious receptions and accommodation.
According to the CCDI, over 40,000 officials have been reprimanded for violating austerity rules since the start of 2014. Punishments for such offenses typically involve demerits and formal warnings.
The central government reportedly spent 5.88 billion yuan (about 925 million U.S. dollars) on travel, vehicles and entertaining last year, 1.27 billion yuan less than budgeted.
