On July 28, the website of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the State Supervision Commission reported that Zhang He, former member of the Standing Committee of the Hebei Provincial CPC Committee and vice governor of Hebei Province, had been expelled from the party for serious violations of discipline and the law, and his retirement benefits were determined according to the fourth-level investigators; and his income from violations of discipline and law was confiscated. This is also the first case of a central management cadre who has been publicly notified of the relevant provisions of the Government Sanction Law since its implementation on July 1 this year.
On April 29 this year, the website of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the State Supervision Commission announced that Zhang He was subject to disciplinary review and supervision and investigation by the Central Discipline Inspection Commission and the State Supervision Commission. Three months later, the review and investigation determined that Zhang He had seriously violated the party's organizational discipline and integrity discipline and constituted a violation of the law, which was serious in nature and had a bad impact, and should be dealt with severely. Zhang He was investigated and punished when he retired nearly 10 years ago, which once again confirmed that no matter how long it has been in the past, it is difficult to escape the severe punishment of party discipline and state law.
Similar to Zhang He, the central management cadres who were investigated and punished after retirement include Chen Qianfeng, former vice mayor of Tianjin Municipality; Xing Yun, former deputy director of the Standing Committee of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region People's Congress; and Hu Huaibang, former chairman of the China Development Bank; this fully shows that retirement by no means means a safe landing; "insisting on no forbidden areas, full coverage, zero tolerance, and persisting in heavy containment, strong high pressure, and long deterrence" is by no means an empty phrase, and the main tone of "strictness" will be adhered to for a long time.
Persisting in punishing those who have done so before and after, treating the sick and saving people, comprehensively considering factual evidence, ideological attitudes, and standards for measuring discipline and law enforcement, seeking truth from facts, deepening the use of the "four forms," and handling every case well in accordance with rules and discipline and in accordance with the law are the inevitable requirements for promoting the high-quality development of discipline inspection and supervision work. The Regulations on Party Disciplinary Punishment, the Supervision Law, and the Law on Government Sanctions all stipulate that those who voluntarily surrender and truthfully confess the facts of violations of discipline and law may be given a lenient punishment or put forward a recommendation for lenient punishment in terms of measurement and discipline.
The Party Disciplinary Regulations put "punish the former and the latter, treat the sick and save people." In dealing with party organizations and party members who violate party discipline, they should combine punishment with education, so that leniency and severity are blended" is listed as a principle that the party's disciplinary work should uphold. The Government Sanctions Law stipulates that the government sanctions given to public employees shall be based on facts and the law as the yardstick, and the government sanctions given shall be commensurate with the nature, circumstances, and degree of harm of the illegal conduct, and persist in combining punishment with education, and combining leniency with severity. Zhang He was expelled from the party and punished according to the fourth-level investigators for "being able to take the initiative to account for the problems of violations of discipline and law that the organization did not grasp, handing over all the proceeds of violations of discipline and law, and having a good attitude of admitting mistakes and repenting of mistakes." The punishment of determining his retirement benefits according to the fourth-level investigators is a concrete embodiment of punishing corruption in accordance with rules and discipline and in accordance with the law.
Article 27 of the Government Sanctions Law stipulates that where a retired public employee commits an illegal act before or after retirement, he shall no longer be given a governmental sanction, but may be investigated; where he or she shall be demoted, removed, or dismissed in accordance with law, the benefits he or she shall enjoy be adjusted accordingly in accordance with provisions, and where the property he or she has illegally acquired and his or her own property used for illegal conduct shall be confiscated, recovered, or ordered to be returned by the Supervision Organs, except where it should be confiscated, recovered, or ordered to be returned by other organs in accordance with law. Zhang He's punishment circular contains expressions such as "determining his retirement benefits according to the fourth-level investigators" and "confiscating his income from violations of discipline and law", which reflects the requirements of the relevant provisions of the Government Sanctions Law.
Corruption is the biggest threat to our party. Standing at the historical crossroads of realizing the "two hundred years" goal, it is inevitable to continue to deepen the comprehensive and strict management of the party and further consolidate and develop the overwhelming victory in the anti-corruption struggle. Every party member and cadre must enhance their consciousness in using power justly, according to law, and honestly, adhere to their original intentions, do not change their true colors, make selfless contributions, and move forward with determination. Discipline inspection and supervision organs should persist in promoting as a whole that they do not dare to be corrupt, cannot be corrupt, and do not want to be corrupt, combine punishment with deterrence, institutional restraint, and raising awareness, implement the "three noes" requirement in all aspects of rectifying the work style, suppressing discipline, and fighting corruption, and strive to achieve the unity of political, disciplinary, and social effects.
Source: Website of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the State Supervision Commission
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