Naked truth about 'nude officials'

By Pan Bei'er  |   2008-7-16  |     NEWSPAPER EDITION

PANG Jiayu, a high-ranking official in Shaanxi Province, was sentenced to 12 years in prison for corruption and dereliction of duty on June 28.

Pang's family members were found to have migrated to Canada in 2002. The case triggered heated discussion on the Internet.

Indignant Netizens gave Pang a new name ?? a "nude official.'' The name is a keen satire on corrupt government officials like Pang who send their families abroad and continue work as an official in China, alone.

Sending their families abroad is just the first step.

"Nude officials'' would then transfer money - public money obtained through bribery or other illegal channels to their foreign bank accounts and get ready to abscond abroad when faced with a charge.

One Netizen asked: "How can a man who doesn't even have loyalty to his country be trusted to be an official and serve the people? Serious investigation must be made into these 'nude officials'.''

Families of government officials have a right to go abroad, but the premise is that they go with their own salary.