This account always has to be calculated! The TV feature "Zero Tolerance" reveals the inside story of coal-related corruption in Inner Mongolia

"The stock of corruption is so large, the scope of its involvement, and the number of people involved are shocking."

On January 18, the much-publicized coal-related corruption case in Inner Mongolia was introduced in the fourth episode of the TV special "Zero Tolerance" broadcast by CCTV, "Systematic Governance".

The "Four Tigers," which had previously been widely reported by the media, in addition to Xing Yun, former deputy director of the Standing Committee of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region People's Congress, Bai Xiangqun, former member of the party leading group and vice chairman of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Government, Yun Guangzhong, former member of the Standing Committee of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Party Committee and former secretary of the Hohhot Municipal CPC Committee, and Yun Citizen, former deputy secretary of the party leading group and general manager of China Huadian Group Corporation, all appeared in the feature film.

The biggest "cancer" of political ecology

Inner Mongolia's investigation of coal-related corruption in the past 20 years is "a typical example of corruption in the field of coal resources exposed by corruption cases such as Yun Guangzhong, Bai Xiangqun, Xing Yun, and Yun Citizen.".

The Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region is the home of the world's largest open-pit coal mine, with wide distribution, large reserves and easy development. From 2002 to 2012, it was a golden decade of rapid development of the coal industry in the mainland, and the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region also ushered in a decade of rapid economic rise. However, at the same time, driven by huge interests, coal-related corruption has also intensified, and some leading cadres of examination and approval departments have also used their powers to get involved in the coal field and encroach on coal resources.

Bai Xiangqun, Yunguangzhong, and Yun citizens have all served as "number one" in the coal-rich league cities, and one of the most important rights is the right to allocate resources.

The feature film revealed that as many as 20 of the 37 bosses who paid bribes to Bai Xiangqun were involved in coal, and the nearly 100 million yuan of property obtained by Yun Guangzhong, who "used a suitcase to pay bribes to the door", accepted more than 37 million yuan from a coal-related enterprise, and the court found that the vast majority of the 400 million yuan accepted by Yun citizens was related to Inner Mongolia.

A number of cases reflect that coal-related corruption in Inner Mongolia is not just a case, but has caused serious systemic damage to the coal industry and even the entire economic, social and political ecology.

Liu Qifan, then member of the Standing Committee of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Party Committee and director of the Supervision Commission of the Discipline Inspection Commission, said: "Fundamentally, the problems in the field of coal resources are still problematic in the concept of development, and our development is up, but the ecological damage it brings, the continuous destruction, and the destruction of rules are one big pit after another. ”

"Today," the development of Inner Mongolia continues to pay for the past, and the big pits dug in the past are paying the price; if we do not investigate and eradicate the roots, it will be impossible to eradicate this tumor that has destroyed the political ecology of Inner Mongolia." Liu Qifan said.

A devastated ecosystem

In the feature film, the citizens of Wuhai City expressed strong dissatisfaction: "The doors do not dare to open, the windows do not unfold, and every day sweeps the floor of the ground to be black." Digging and mining indiscriminately, coal bosses are earning money, the people are suffering, and the country is damaged. ”

This reflects that the collusion between officials and businessmen not only undermines the normal market and regulatory order, but also leads to various chaos such as disorderly coal mining, illegal mining, extensive mining, and excessive mining, and also causes prominent ecological and environmental problems and seriously affects people's livelihood.

In 2016, when the Central Environmental Protection Inspection Group carried out environmental protection inspections in Inner Mongolia, it pointed out that "the relevant functional departments of the autonomous region have applied for mining permits in nature reserves in violation of regulations", "mine environmental governance has generally not been carried out", "wuhai and surrounding areas coal fields (coal mines) spontaneous combustion pollution environmental problems are serious" and other issues.

In 2018, the Central Ecological and Environmental Protection Supervision Group carried out a special inspection feedback on Inner Mongolia's "review" and grassland ecological and environmental problems, "The land and resources department of the autonomous region has neither strictly implemented the grassland pre-examination system nor effectively organized ecological restoration for the problem of mines destroying grassland." "Since 2013, the Huolinhe open-pit coal mine of Guodian Investment Group has successively encroached on and destroyed large areas of grassland, and basically has not carried out remediation and restoration work, but the local land and resources department has not imposed any punishment in the past 6 years."

In particular, Ordos, known as the "Coal Sea outside the Cyprus", is a place that is frequently reported by the masses during each inspection, mainly involving pollution such as coal mine dust, noise, and dust. Yun Guangzhong and Xing Yun have all served as municipal party secretaries here, and since then many local officials have also been dismissed for corruption cases.

In addition, in June 2018, Yu Wentao, the former vice mayor of Chifeng City in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, was investigated as a subordinate of Bai Xiangqun.

It is worth noting that in November 2017, the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region notified the Central Environmental Protection Inspector of the transfer of responsibility for ecological and environmental damage to the accountability of the problem, Chifeng City's reclaimed water utilization rate is low, 5 sewage treatment plants directly discharged and discharged beyond the standard to the Laoha River, Yingjin River, giving Yu Wentao administrative warning sanctions.

"This account always has to be calculated"

Carrying out special rectification is a major political task personally arranged and deployed by General Secretary Xi Jinping.

The feature film mentions that when participating in the deliberations of the Inner Mongolia delegation at the 2021 National "Two Sessions", General Secretary Xi Jinping criticized corruption in the coal field and demanded serious accountability: "Taking the country's resources to engage in bribery and bribery, to engage in power and money transactions, this account always has to be calculated." ”

There is resolute zero tolerance for incremental corruption, and zero tolerance for existing corruption as long as it is exposed. A number of central management cadres in Inner Mongolia were found to be involved in coal-related corruption, exposing the deep-seated problems in the field of coal resources in Inner Mongolia, and the special rectification of coal-related corruption was launched to systematically treat stubborn and chronic diseases.

Starting from February 2020, Inner Mongolia will carry out special rectification of violations of laws and regulations in the field of coal resources in accordance with the deployment requirements of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the State Supervision Commission, and investigate coal-related corruption for 20 years. Among them, it includes the planning and approval of all coal mines in the region, investment review, resource allocation, environmental audit and other aspects of the full element inventory.

As of October 2021, the special rectification has investigated and dealt with a total of 736 coal-related corruption cases, 1,023 people, including 69 people at the department and bureau level, 243 people at the county and department level, investigated and handled 571 coal-related economic cases, arrested 839 criminal suspects, recovered and recovered 52.3888 billion yuan of economic losses, and declared an attitude of zero tolerance for corruption with unprecedented strength.

The ecological and environmental problems of the Qilian Mountains National Nature Reserve in Gansu province and the problem of "illegal mining of Muli coal mines" in Qinghai have led to the dismissal of Wang Sanyun, former secretary of the Gansu Provincial CPC Committee, Wen Guodong, former vice governor of Qinghai Province, and many other officials.

The wind of the Qilian Mountains will not blow to the southern foothills, let alone be separated from the grasslands in the north.

Facing the camera, Bai Xiangqun wanted to say two words with his heart: "(I) used to be unable to sleep outside, especially under the anti-corruption pressure." If you want to sleep well, have a safe and secure tomorrow and the day after tomorrow, hurry up and surrender, don't do it again, and tell the organization about the idea of doing it. ”

Author: Niu Qiupeng

Source: China Environment