A district-level food and drug bureau in Xi'an, capital of
northwest China's Shaanxi Province, has been criticized for
taking donation and its leaders have been punished according to
administrative and Party rules.
The State Food and Drug Administration said in a notice that the
Changan branch of the Xi'an bureau had demanded donations from drug
companies when holding a ceremony to celebrate its opening.
"Changan bureau has disregarded related rules of the government
and the Communist Party of China (CPC)," said the notice.
The bureau leaders had held a special meeting to reach the
decision of demanding donation from the companies, it said.
Other bureau personnel who had taken part in the bribery were
also punished accordingly.
A joint investigation team consisting of members from city,
provincial and central CPC organs in charge of disciplinary
inspection probed into the case to decide it as "severely
rule-bending."
"The case is severe in nature and has produced very bad effect
in the society," said the notice.
Changan bureau had been ordered to return all donation money and
apologize to the companies who were forced to offer donation.
The administration asked the country's food and drug authority
at different levels to learn lesson from the case, referring it as
a "negative textbook."
The CPC held two news conferences last month disclosing a set of
in-Party scandals with more than 400 civil servants and eight CPC
officials being punished for bribery.
The ruling Party is now undergoing a nationwide reshuffle of
leading groups at provincial, prefectural, county and township
levels, which makes the scandals more eye-catching than ever.
(Xinhua News Agency August 3, 2006)