A corruption crackdown in northern China found that nearly 300 local officials regularly spend working hours relaxing in massage parlours, bathhouses and karaoke bars, state press said Tuesday.
Of the 296 officials busted in Shanxi province, 79 have already been demoted or fired, while the rest also face punishment, Xinhua news agency said.
A senior county-level policeman who was found getting a massage in a bathhouse and a leading administrator of a top Shanxi hospital caught playing the Chinese game of mahjong in a tea house were among those exposed, it said.
The crackdown by the provincial Communist Party began on August 20 with inspectors descending on entertainment venues, the report said.
Massage parlours, bathhouses and karaoke bars often serve as fronts for prostitution in China.
"At present, our team of officials in Shanxi province is basically good, but we still have some problems with the manner in which they work," Xinhua cited Yuan Chunqing, the top provincial party official, as saying.
"The biggest problems come up in their leisure, eating and entertainment activities," he said.
Graft probes in China have regularly turned up cases of Communist Party leaders engaged in illicit activities, often linked to the squandering of public funds on mistresses and prostitutes.
Li Yuanchao, a top national party leader, warned late last year that disciplinary action would be taken against party officials caught visiting "vulgar venues" and hiring female escorts.
link:
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=7961173
note: looks like even the officials gets in trouble too ><