2nd LD Writethru-China Focus: Su Rong expelled from Party, office

Su Rong, former vice chairman of China's top political advisory body, has been expelled from the Communist Party of China (CPC) and dismissed from public office following an internal graft investigation, the country's discipline watchdog announced on Monday.

The CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) said it found that Su, one of the most senior politicians involved in the Party's anti-corruption campaign," violated organizational and personnel disciplines and took the liberty to change official decisions, sought profits for others and accepted huge bribes in selection of officials and enterprise management by taking advantage of his post."

He abused his power and caused "great losses" to state assets, failed to take responsibility for promoting clean governance and was accountable for serious corruption in Jiangxi Province, where he was Party chief between 2007 and 2013, according to the CCDI.

He is suspected of crimes including bribery and abuse of power, and his case will now be subject to a criminal investigation, according to the statement.

"As a senior CPC official, Su defied the Party's political rules, seriously violated organizational discipline and was involved in dealing out official positions, which had a vile impact on ranks of cadres and social ethos," said the statement.

Su was not only seriously corrupt, but also supported and indulged his relatives in usurping authority, interfering with government affairs and to obtain "huge amount of illegal profits," which "seriously undermined the Party's political life and the local political ecology," it said.

The former vice chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee, he has been under investigation since June 2014.

He is also the fourth senior official apprehended with links to Jiangxi, where a major shift in the political landscape has taken place since a CCDI inspection team was dispatched to the eastern province in May 2013.

Born in 1948, Su is a native of north China's Jilin Province. From 2001 to 2013, he served successively as Party chief of northwestern Qinghai and Gansu provinces and Jiangxi Province.

Su was elected as a vice chairman of the 12th National Committee of the CPPCC in March 2013 along with 22 others. He even attended a top-level CPPCC conference in Beijing two weeks ahead of the announced probe. Endit