China's former senior political advisor expelled from Party, public office

BEIJING, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Gou Zhongwen, a former member of the Standing Committee of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, the national political advisory body, has been expelled from the Party and dismissed from public office, according to an official statement released on Thursday.

The decision followed an investigation by China's top anti-graft body, which found that Gou had lost his ideals and convictions and had severely tarnished the political environment of the country's sports sector.

Gou formerly served as head of the General Administration of Sport of China before he took over positions at the political advisory body.

Gou had allegedly accepted gifts, attended banquets and participated in tourist activities prohibited by the Party's frugality rules. He was also found to have traded power for sex and money, according to the statement.

He also unlawfully possessed classified documents and abused his power, leading to significant economic losses, the statement noted.

Based on the investigation, Gou's actions constitute serious duty-related violations, and he is suspected of bribery and abuse of power. A decision has been made to confiscate his illegal gains, and the case will be transferred to procuratorial authorities for review and prosecution, the statement added. ■