In the past decade, the Chinese Communist Party’s anti-corruption efforts have unearthed an increasing number of corrupt officials. Recently, news of a Hebei official who embezzled over 5.56 million yuan in wages meant for sanitation workers over an 8-year period has sparked public outcry.
According to a report from the Hebei Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection and Supervision on June 21st, Yan, a former fourth-level researcher at the Handan City Urban Management Comprehensive Law Enforcement Detachment and head of the Zhanqian City Appearance Sanitation Brigade, fraudulently claimed and embezzled over 5.56 million yuan in wages for sanitation workers from 2014 to 2022 by using his own bank card or arranging for subordinates to use others’ bank cards. Yan also had other serious violations of discipline and law. In May 2024, Yan was expelled from the Party and had his retirement benefits revoked. He was also sent to the procuratorate for prosecution on suspicion of criminal activities.
Following the release of this news, mainland Chinese netizens expressed anger:
“Why was the embezzlement of over 5.56 million yuan in sanitation workers’ wages discovered only after 8 years?”
“This is like cutting meat off a mosquito’s leg, too much.”
“It’s blatantly sucking blood from vulnerable groups.”
“The supervisory department should handle real issues and conduct thorough investigations into corruption.”
“The sanitation workers already receive low salaries, most of them elderly. Is it easy for them to earn some money? These leeches must be strictly investigated and punished.”
“Such greedy behavior is infuriating. This case once again exposes the severity of corruption issues. Those vampires must be severely punished.”
“How did he fraudulently claim and embezzle wages? There must be a series of corruption chains behind this that need to be thoroughly investigated.”
In fact, incidents of Communist Party officials fraudulently claiming and embezzling workers’ wages are not uncommon.
In 2021, Li, the former deputy director of the Zhanqian Er Suo at the Liaoning Yingkou City Public Facilities Maintenance Center, was revealed to have engaged in fraudulent claims and embezzlement of workers’ wages.
In 2017, a sanitation station chief in Zhejiang was sentenced for falsely listing staff and embezzling wages.
Since 2015, the Haizhou District Procuratorate of Lianyungang City in Jiangsu Province has investigated five cases of corruption and bribery within the urban management sanitation system involving six individuals. Among them, the former director and deputy director of the sanitation department were sentenced to 2 and 6 years in prison respectively for corruption and bribery.
Between 2007 and 2012, Zhang and others conspired to fraudulently obtain over one hundred thousand yuan of public funds by falsely claiming overtime pay for sanitation workers, which was then used for personal expenses such as shopping and travel.