BEIJING: A former Chinese aerospace defence executive has been expelled from the ruling Communist Party for corruption, China’s anti-graft watchdog said on Monday (Feb 24), part of a sweeping anti-corruption purge across China’s military-industrial complex.
The former chairman of Aviation Industry Corporation of China, Tan Ruisong, “lived off the military sector” and took a huge amount in bribes, according to a statement from the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection.
The move comes after 14 military delegates were expelled from China’s national legislative body in the past two years, as part of a purge of the world’s largest military unprecedented in size and scale.
These include four generals, eight lieutenant generals and two major generals. At least three more aerospace defence executives have been expelled from China’s top political advisory body.
Tan “had lost his ideals and beliefs, betrayed his original aspirations”, “accepted banquets” in violation of Party regulations, “engaged in power-for-sex transactions” and used his position to “seek profits for others in enterprise restructuring and … contracting engineering projects”, the unusually detailed statement said.
His case has been transferred to prosecutors, the statement added.
Reuters could not reach Tan for comment. State-owned Aviation Industry Corporation of China did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
