Academic bribery accusation to be investigated

Updated: 2012-05-09 22:06

By Zhang Yan (chinadaily.com.cn)

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The Supreme People's Procuratorate has sent special anti-corruption prosecutors to investigate a case in which a professor was accused of taking bribes to help others gain academic titles in Central China's Hunan province.

On May 4, web users claimed on micro blogs that Liu Yibing, a professor in charge of the group that evaluates academic titles for university physical education teachers in the province, ordered a suite in a local hotel to take bribes from teacher applicants. The allegation aroused widespread concern.

The provincial education bureau announced on May 5 that Liu’s qualification with the evaluation commission was suspended.

Xinhua reported that the Supreme People’s Procuratorate sent special prosecutors to Hunan to check whether there were any duty-related criminal activities.

"The anti–corruption and bribery department will follow up and further investigate it, and if any illegal operation is found, it won't be tolerated and will be handled according to the national Criminal Law," Cao Jianming, chief prosecutor, said.

Ge Jianzhong, deputy director of Hunan provincial education bureau, said the discipline inspection department of the bureau had a preliminary talk with Liu. “He admitted he had made contacts with some candidate teachers, but denied that he had received any money.”

"In any event, Liu has violated the disciplinary code, based on his confession, and we have stopped his qualification to continue as a member of the evaluation commission," Ge said.

He also said that Liu's case has been formally placed on file for investigation by the disciplinary inspection department of Hunan Police College, where Liu works.

Evaluation work by the physical education teachers' group has been halted.

There are 109 members of the province’s academic title evaluation commission.