China beefs up corruption investigation department

BEIJING, April 15 (UPI) -- China’s Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, its anti-corruption department, has added 100 new investigators, a senior official said Tuesday in Beijing.

The commission, part of China’s Communist Party, also increased its investigations from eight to 12, added Zhang Jinan, a CCDI standing committee member. It handles high-profile government corruption cases, such as that of former party chief Bo Xilai in 2013.

According to the commission, China is undergoing a large-scale anti-corruption campaign, with 31 top officials investigated in 2013 and 182,000 officials punished. The commission noted a 13.3 percent increase in cases from 2012.

The momentum has continued in 2014, with 12 provincial and ministerial officials investigated. They include Yao Mugen, vice governor of Jiangxi province, and Shen Peiping, vice governor of Yunan province.

"The agency is in need of reforming itself, and allocating resources to fight corruption in the Party,” Zhang said.

The commission has also set up an internal affairs unit to supervise its investigators.

[Xinhua]