Published on ShanghaiDaily.com (http://www.shanghaidaily.com/)
http://www.shanghaidaily.com/sp/article/2008/200811/20081113/article_380508.htm
Party official sacked for overstay in Europe
Created: 2008-11-13 16:16:21
Author:Lydia Chen
A MUNICIPAL official from Zhejiang Province has been kicked out of the Communist Party and removed from his post after he refused to return home while on a European visit.
The decision was made as Yang Xianghong, former Party secretary of Lucheng District in Wenzhou City, “seriously violated” the Party’s discipline regulations and caused a negative impact on society, the Beijing-based Legal Daily reported today.
Yang departed on September 19 on a 12-day tour of Europe. He left the delegation just before the return trip on September 29, claiming he had to stay in France for medical treatment, according to the newspaper under the supervision of the Ministry of Justice.
He then sent a resignation letter to the municipal Party committee, saying that his back pain was severe and the work pressure was too much for him to handle.
The municipal government demanded he return, which Yang refused.
On October 23, the municipal government sent a representative and doctors to visit Yang in France, saying that the team would help with Yang’s treatment.
However, the team could only reach Yang via cell phone messages as he refused to meet in person.
He called the representative four times and stressed that his pain was serious.
The 52-year-old told the representative that he would return home after treatment, but refused to reveal where he was, the newspaper said.
The team returned to China empty handed on Tuesday.
Yang has a daughter living in France.
Yang, who has now overstayed in France for more than 40 days, was promoted last year to be a standing member of the Wenzhou municipal Party committee, the report said.
He had surgery in April 2007 because of recurring back problems, according to Xinhua news agency. Since last year, Yang has been telling colleagues that he wanted to step down because of his health, and had claimed "there were some people against him."
His overstay in France has sparked speculation that he has fled because of potential corruption charges.
Meanwhile, the newspaper also revealed that a director of Lucheng’s tourism bureau, who was said to have close links with Yang, has been arrested over alleged bribery charges.
The director, surnamed Chen, was promoted to the position during Yang’s term as the district Party secretary.
Chen was summoned for talks by the local discipline authority on his bribery allegations earlier this year. However, the investigation was halted after Yang pressured the authority and claimed that the person who offered bribes to Chen could not be located, according to the report.
The decision was made as Yang Xianghong, former Party secretary of Lucheng District in Wenzhou City, “seriously violated” the Party’s discipline regulations and caused a negative impact on society, the Beijing-based Legal Daily reported today.
Yang departed on September 19 on a 12-day tour of Europe. He left the delegation just before the return trip on September 29, claiming he had to stay in France for medical treatment, according to the newspaper under the supervision of the Ministry of Justice.
He then sent a resignation letter to the municipal Party committee, saying that his back pain was severe and the work pressure was too much for him to handle.
The municipal government demanded he return, which Yang refused.
On October 23, the municipal government sent a representative and doctors to visit Yang in France, saying that the team would help with Yang’s treatment.
However, the team could only reach Yang via cell phone messages as he refused to meet in person.
He called the representative four times and stressed that his pain was serious.
The 52-year-old told the representative that he would return home after treatment, but refused to reveal where he was, the newspaper said.
The team returned to China empty handed on Tuesday.
Yang has a daughter living in France.
Yang, who has now overstayed in France for more than 40 days, was promoted last year to be a standing member of the Wenzhou municipal Party committee, the report said.
He had surgery in April 2007 because of recurring back problems, according to Xinhua news agency. Since last year, Yang has been telling colleagues that he wanted to step down because of his health, and had claimed "there were some people against him."
His overstay in France has sparked speculation that he has fled because of potential corruption charges.
Meanwhile, the newspaper also revealed that a director of Lucheng’s tourism bureau, who was said to have close links with Yang, has been arrested over alleged bribery charges.
The director, surnamed Chen, was promoted to the position during Yang’s term as the district Party secretary.
Chen was summoned for talks by the local discipline authority on his bribery allegations earlier this year. However, the investigation was halted after Yang pressured the authority and claimed that the person who offered bribes to Chen could not be located, according to the report.
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