China's Communist Party Expels Ex-Civil Aviation Deputy Head Over Bribery

Former Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) Deputy Director Xia Xinghua has been suspended from the Communist Party of China (CPC) over corruption allegations, the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) said Tuesday.

BEIJING (Sputnik) — Xia became the subject of an internal party investigation after being suspected of serious party discipline breaches, the CCDI, the Communist Party's highest internal control organ, said.

The official is suspected of receiving bribes and seeking personal gain while on his post. The language of the official statement suggests an anti-corruption case. The case has already been passed on to legal authorities.

The civil aviation deputy head is also reportedly accused of failing to report personal information, buying property at below-market prices and breaching CPC guidelines against bureaucracy and extravagance.

After assuming office in 2012, Chinese President Xi Jinping launched a large-scale campaign against corruption, primarily targeting high-level officials in the Communist Party, the armed forces and state-run enterprises. Thousands of officials have been expelled from the party and persecuted since then.

Never miss a story again — sign up to our Telegram channel and we'll keep you up to speed!