J-10
11-01-2005, 08:59 PM
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-11/02/content_3717114.htm
4,500 officials report shares in coal mines
www.chinaview.cn 2005-11-02 08:03:28
BEIJING, Nov. 2 -- China's latest move to bring an end to collusion between government officials
and colliery owners a major cause of frequent coal mine accidents has seen "initial success," it was revealed yesterday.
By October 20, 4,578 officials had reported investment in coal mines totalling 653 million yuan (US$80.5 million), said Vice-Minister of Supervision Chen Changzhi at a press conference.
Of the amount, 473 million yuan (US$56 million) has been withdrawn, Chen said, while summing up the two-month drive by four ministerial departments to clear collieries of officials' investment.
Those who have withdrawn shares from coal mines include 3,002 civil servants and 1,576 heads of State-owned enterprises. They would be exempted from punishment, said Chen.
But criminal or disciplinary penalties would be meted out to those who invested in coal mines using money generated through bribery or other illegal channels.
The four departments involved are the Ministry of Supervision, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Communist Party of China, the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration of the State Council, and the State Administration of Work Safety (SAWS)
Starting late August, the departments launched a joint drive to clear coal mines of shares held by officials, setting October 20 as the deadline.
Lured by huge profits, some officials have abused their power to provide protection umbrellas to owners of illegally-run collieries lacking the basic guarantees for miners' safety, said Li Yizhong, head of SAWS.
Collusion was particularly rampant in privately-owned mines, experts said.
Statistics indicate that about 6,000 miners are killed in colliery accidents each year as a result of work safety loopholes.
Government officials are forbidden by law to acquire shares of non-listed companies. But some corrupt officials ignored the restrictions and raked in huge amounts of money through direct investment or share options in some private coal mines.
They have abused their power, accepted bribes and helped cover up fatal coal mine accidents, said Li.
For example, Hu Jianchang, vice-director of the provincial bureau of work safety in South China's Guangdong Province, took 100,000 yuan (US$12,000) in bribes to issue a safety certificate to Daxing Coal Mine on June 5. A month later, a flooding incident occurred, killing 121 miners.
According to Chen, the government will ensure that various localities check and complete the registration work as soon as possible and prevent any fraud during the share reporting process.
"We will thoroughly investigate the exact situation of the people withdrawing shares," he said.
A joint inspection group will soon be set up to check the implementation of the drive, he said.
"Those who have transferred their colliery shares to other people or are holding shares secretly will be removed from their posts outright and be held liable for administrative or criminal punishment," Chen said.
To improve the coal-mine safety record, SAWS has suspended the production of more than 8,600 collieries, mainly small ones that could not meet the requirement of safety standards, said Li.
SAWS's data indicates that China has more than 27,000 coal mines, of which 24,000 are medium- or small-sized ones
4,500 officials report shares in coal mines
www.chinaview.cn 2005-11-02 08:03:28
BEIJING, Nov. 2 -- China's latest move to bring an end to collusion between government officials
and colliery owners a major cause of frequent coal mine accidents has seen "initial success," it was revealed yesterday.
By October 20, 4,578 officials had reported investment in coal mines totalling 653 million yuan (US$80.5 million), said Vice-Minister of Supervision Chen Changzhi at a press conference.
Of the amount, 473 million yuan (US$56 million) has been withdrawn, Chen said, while summing up the two-month drive by four ministerial departments to clear collieries of officials' investment.
Those who have withdrawn shares from coal mines include 3,002 civil servants and 1,576 heads of State-owned enterprises. They would be exempted from punishment, said Chen.
But criminal or disciplinary penalties would be meted out to those who invested in coal mines using money generated through bribery or other illegal channels.
The four departments involved are the Ministry of Supervision, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Communist Party of China, the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration of the State Council, and the State Administration of Work Safety (SAWS)
Starting late August, the departments launched a joint drive to clear coal mines of shares held by officials, setting October 20 as the deadline.
Lured by huge profits, some officials have abused their power to provide protection umbrellas to owners of illegally-run collieries lacking the basic guarantees for miners' safety, said Li Yizhong, head of SAWS.
Collusion was particularly rampant in privately-owned mines, experts said.
Statistics indicate that about 6,000 miners are killed in colliery accidents each year as a result of work safety loopholes.
Government officials are forbidden by law to acquire shares of non-listed companies. But some corrupt officials ignored the restrictions and raked in huge amounts of money through direct investment or share options in some private coal mines.
They have abused their power, accepted bribes and helped cover up fatal coal mine accidents, said Li.
For example, Hu Jianchang, vice-director of the provincial bureau of work safety in South China's Guangdong Province, took 100,000 yuan (US$12,000) in bribes to issue a safety certificate to Daxing Coal Mine on June 5. A month later, a flooding incident occurred, killing 121 miners.
According to Chen, the government will ensure that various localities check and complete the registration work as soon as possible and prevent any fraud during the share reporting process.
"We will thoroughly investigate the exact situation of the people withdrawing shares," he said.
A joint inspection group will soon be set up to check the implementation of the drive, he said.
"Those who have transferred their colliery shares to other people or are holding shares secretly will be removed from their posts outright and be held liable for administrative or criminal punishment," Chen said.
To improve the coal-mine safety record, SAWS has suspended the production of more than 8,600 collieries, mainly small ones that could not meet the requirement of safety standards, said Li.
SAWS's data indicates that China has more than 27,000 coal mines, of which 24,000 are medium- or small-sized ones