Sacked Shanghai Party Secretary

Top headline news today for China news was the sacking of Shanghai's party secretary on grounds of alleged corruption.  There's possible political motivation too, as the story below alludes to.  It's no wonder there are TV dramas here about political power, corruption, blackmail etc.  When you're talking Shanghai municipality, you are talking big business, big bucks.

 

 

Excerpt from the South China Morning Post (a HK paper):

 

"China's ruling Communist Party has sacked Shanghai party secretary Chen Liangyu for his alleged involvement in the mismanagement of the city's social security fund, making him one of the most senior mainland leaders ever to fall in a corruption scandal.

 

Analysts say the high-profile sacking, announced yesterday, signals that President Hu Jintao feels confident in taking on the powerful "Shanghai Gang" of leaders linked to the city as he tries to place his own people in key positions ahead of an important Communist Party meeting next year.

 

The leader of the mainland's commercial capital was believed to be under threat after revelations last month that Shanghai's labour chief, Zhu Junyi , had lent money from the 10-billion-yuan-plus fund to several projects based on personal links.

 

Party officials were now investigating Mr Chen, 59, and had removed him as Shanghai party secretary and from the party's 24-member Politburo following a meeting on Sunday, Xinhua said, announcing the decision.

"No matter who, no matter how high their post, those who violate party discipline and state laws will receive serious investigation and severe punishment," Xinhua quoted the Communist Party Central Committee as saying.

 

...

The timing of Mr Chen's removal has attracted attention. He is a member of the "Shanghai Gang", led by former president Jiang Zemin , which shares power with the current administration. "There is now a vacancy and that is an opportunity for Hu Jintao. Even if there was genuine corruption a legitimate reason why Hu had to sack him, this must have been irresistible to Hu," a western diplomat said. "