Nearly 600 people had been punished for being involved in irregularities
disclosed by the State Audit Office three months ago, the office said on its Web
site Thursday.
The Industrial and Commercial Bank punished 368 people, with 52 people being
fired. At least four people were transferred to legal authorities.
The provinces along the Huaihe River in Central China imposed disciplinary
punishments on 202 people involved in misappropriating relief money for flood
victims. Investigations show that nine of the 14 flood-stricken counties in the
Huaihe River Valley grafted 136 million yuan (US$16 million) from the disaster
relief fund.
The Ministry of Water Resources transferred 21 people who allegedly cheated
on the Yangtze embankment projects to the judicial departments for
investigations.
Education authorities in Huazhou City and Zhanjiang City in Guangdong
Province had imposed¡°disciplinary punishment¡±on more than 10 people who
embezzled education funds. The former director of the Huazhou Municipal
Education Bureau was fired. The former director of the Wujiang education bureau
in Zhanjiang was fired. Two people thought to be directly responsible were under
criminal investigation.
The State Power Co. vowed to improve management after the auditors said wrong
decisions by management caused huge losses for the firm.
China¡¯s Auditor-General Li Jinhua has said 1.4 billion yuan (US$170 million)
had been misused in the 2003 budget after completion of the audit of 55
ministries and commissions under the State Council.
