More graft cases unveiled in China amid crackdown

Fraudulent claims, embezzlement most common forms of corruption in villages

- Aw Cheng Wei

CHONGQING - Corruption cases against village and town officials in China have soared in 2024, as a graft crackdown deepens in the world's second-largest economy.

The number of cases against the directors of village committees, which run China's smallest administrative areas, grew year on year by 31,000 - or 67.4 per cent - to 77,000 in the first nine months of 2024, according to official figures.

There were also a lot more graft cases involving township officials, which grew by 24,000 - or 36.9 per cent - to 89,000 between January and September, compared with the same period in 2023.

For the first nine months of 2024, China logged 642,000 corruption cases, higher than the 626,000 for the whole of 2023. The increase is seen at all five levels of the country's administrative areas, which also include county, prefecture and province.

But it is the scourge of corruption in villages, in particular, that has worried China's anti-corruption czar Li Xi, a member of the country's apex Politburo Standing Committee.

In a speech on Nov 20, he urged officials to engage more deeply with grassroots members and to encourage the public to keep an eye on how public funds are spent by local officials.