Former Sinopec GM to be prosecuted

Wang Tianpu, former general manager of Sinopec Group, Asia’s largest oil refiner, was expelled from the Chinese Communist Party on Thursday. A criminal case has been handed to the courts.

China’s Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, known as the CCDI, announced on Thursday in a press release that Tianpu’s expulsion from the party is based on eight alleged violations including corruption, the solicitation and accepting of bribes, using public funds for personal gain and illegal possession of public property.

“Wang Tianpu was a senior leadership cadre in the party, and he severely broke discipline,” the CCDI said on Thursday in a press release.

The CCDI started its corruption investigation into Tianpu’s dealings in April of 2015. He was shortly thereafter removed from his positions at Sinopec.

Chinese President Xi Jinping began a campaign of targeting officials from the government, military and state-owned companies suspected of corruption shortly after taking office in 2012. Reforming China’s state-owned enterprises is seen as a crucial part of the reforms necessary to usher in a new era of sustainable economic growth for China.

For more information on China, click here.