Chinese netizens expressed outrage when it was exposed that Cai Bin, a local official in Guangzhou, and his family owned more than 20 homes. Cai has now been detained and is under investigation. From the Wall Street Journal:
Cai Bin, who formerly ran the city’s urban management bureau in the district of Panyu, served as its political commissar and was its deputy chief of police, is suspected of bribe-taking, the state-run Xinhua news agency quoted Mei Heqing, a local discipline official, as saying.
Mr. Cai and local officials couldn’t be reached for comment.
Earlier this month, online activists and local media reported Mr. Cai’s family owned more than 20 homes. The value of those homes wasn’t immediately clear, though Xinhua has quoted estimates saying the homes possibly were worth as much as 40 million yuan ($6.4 million). Mr. Cai earned about 10,000 yuan monthly in his official work, Xinhua said.
Mr. Cai is suspected of concealing most of his family’s real estate, Xinhua reported, previously disclosing only two family homes. State media reported Monday that he had been placed under shuanggui, a form of investigative detention for cadres.
Cai is the second local official to be ousted in the past month following online anger over their excessive wealth. In Shaanxi, a local official, Yang Dacai, was photographed wearing numerous luxury watches, which he would not have been able to afford on his salary alone. Netizens began questioning the source of his wealth, and he was later removed from his position.
