A top official of Shanghai's premier development zone has been detained for alleged graft, as the city continues to reel from a pension fund scandal that has brought down dozens of corrupt officials and business executives.
Former Pudong district vice-director Kang Huijun is accused of taking advantage of his position to speculate in property, reaping more than 16 million yuan from the deals, Caijing magazine said. The eastern district of Pudong is the location of Shanghai's financial district.
Caijing reported that Kang, 50, had been put under shuanggui - a form of detention that requires suspects to make themselves available to investigators at a specific time and place - a week ago.
Kang's fall was confirmed yesterday when Xinhua quoted a statement by the Standing Committee of Shanghai People's Congress that he has lost his qualification as a representative. The Xinhua report also said that Kang had been sacked for allegedly accepting bribes and was currently under investigation by Shanghai Discipline and Inspection Commission.
According to Hong Kong-based Ta Kung Pao, Kang was abruptly dismissed from his job on Monday by the standing committee of the district people's congress.
Caijing said that according to the initial investigation, Kang had bought 24 luxury apartment units at fixed low prices in his own name and that of his wife, with one unit on the bank of the Huangpu River valued at up to 40,000 yuan per square metre. He then sold eight of the properties.
