AUGUST 12TH 2015
ANTI-GRAFT CAMPAIGN UNCOVERS FIRST ‘TIGER’ FROM MEP
More than three years into the national corruption campaign, Xi Jinping’s hunt for ‘tigers and flies’ has made its first major foray into the Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP). The anti-graft crusade shows no signs of slowing its permeation deeper into scattered sectors of the Chinese political sphere, with Zhang Lijun, the 63-year-old former Vice Minister, the latest target for enquiry.
Zhang served almost 25 years in several positions within environmental protection bodies, acting as Vice Minister of environmental protection from 2008-2013. The investigation within the ministry represents a spotlight on the highest-ranking environmental official since the crackdown commenced.
A tip-off in 2014 led to Commission inspectors undertaking a month-long probe late last year, with results slowly flowing into the public eye as of February. This month, China’s anti-corruption watchdog, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, announced the particulars of the probe, revealing a crackdown on fraudulent assessments and quality control standards.
The letter of complaint that sparked the investigation accused Zhang and other peers of manipulating environmental standards on vehicle emissions by adapting testing equipment standards to benefit associated contractors. The investigation revealed that Zhang and his peers ‘interfered in the approval of environmental projects and set up firms soliciting business in environmental evaluation’ resulting in a windfall of more than $322 million USD for three linked companies.
The cohort of corrupt Ministerial figures under investigation was responsible for the evaluation of tenders for the supply of vehicular emission monitoring systems. Zhang and other parties sold fraudulent quality control certification, shoddy monitoring equipment, and intervened in processes to eliminate competitive tenders, in effect creating an environment of collegial lax control standards.
The revelations reveal major concerns in the processes for environmental impact assessments (EIAs) and the general dangers of regulatory failures and corruption. As central bodies continue to wade ever deeper into all sectors of the Chinese economy in a quest to improve liability and to bolster ineffective regulatory environments, complete confidence in accountability and quality control are the only weapons that can make foreign tenders rest easy.
SOURCES:
http://www.ecns.cn/2015/07-31/175289.shtml
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Image:Faungg.
