Wei Minzhou

Wei Minzhou (Chinese: 魏民洲; pinyin: Wèi Mínzhōu; born August 24, 1956) is a Chinese politician best known for his term as the Communist Party Secretary of Xi'an, between 2012 and 2016. He was placed under investigation by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and expelled from the party in 2017.

Wei Minzhou
魏民洲
Communist Party Secretary of Xi'an
In office 2012–2016
Preceded by	Sun Qingyun
Succeeded by	Wang Yongkang
Personal details
Born	August 1956 (age 64) Huayin, Shaanxi
Political party	Communist Party of China (expelled)
Alma mater	Xi'an University of Technology

Biography

Wei was born in Huayin, Shaanxi, but traces his lineage to nearby Pucheng County. He performed rural labour during the Cultural Revolution and was a leader in his local commune. In 1978, after the resumption of the National College Entrance Exam, Wei entered Shaanxi Mechanics College (now Xi'an University of Technology) and majored in mechanical design, then was assigned to work in Zhengzhou. In 1982 he became one of the leaders of the Communist Youth League organization at the factory he worked at, beginning his political career.

Between 1983 and 1998, Wei served in the Youth League system. He worked in Henan, then was transferred back to his native Shaanxi province. He served as the general manager of the Shaanxi Youth Travel Agency, then head of the office for Project Hope and its partner-organization Shaanxi Youth Development Foundation. In 1996, he was named deputy chief of the provincial Youth League organization.

In 1998, Wei was named the deputy party chief of Shangluo, which was converted from a prefecture to a city in 1998. Wei was named mayor of the newly formed city. In 2005, he became party chief. In 2007, he was named a member of the provincial Party Standing Committee, and in December became the secretary-general of the Shaanxi party committee.

In June 2012, he was named Party Secretary of Xi'an. He left the post in December 2016, after reaching the retirement age of 60.[1] Then he was appointed as Vice-Chairman of the Shaanxi People's Congress.[2]

Investigation

On May 22, 2017, Wei was suspected of "serious violations of discipline", and placed under investigation by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI).[3] The party investigation into Wei concluded in August 2017. In its disciplinary dossier against Wei, the CCDI stated that Wei had "severely violated political discipline and political rules, engaged in political opportunism and careerism; exhibited bad political morality; long engaged in superstitious activities; resisted the investigation into his wrongdoing." It also said he violated the Eight-point Regulation, frequented private clubs and accepted banquet invitations funded by public sources, and accepted "tourism activities arranged by private enterprises." He was also said to have violated organizational discipline, life discipline, took bribes, and used his position of power to secure gain for others. He was summarily expelled from the Communist Party and his case forwarded to judicial authorities for prosecution.[4] Wei's close ally, Zhao Zhengyong, former governor and party chief of Shaanxi, was under investigation in January 2019.[5]

Sentence

On November 20, 2018, Wei was sentenced to life in prison for taking bribes worth 109.78 million yuan by the Intermediate People's Court in Chenzhou.

References

1. 西安市委书记魏民洲简历
2. "魏民洲姚引良刘小燕当选陕西省人大副主任，魏增军为副省长". 澎湃新闻. Retrieved 2017-02-05.
3. "陕西省人大常委会党组副书记、副主任魏民洲涉嫌严重违纪接受组织审查". Central Commission for Discipline Inspection. Retrieved 2017-05-22.
4. "陕西省人大常委会原党组副书记、副主任魏民洲严重违纪被开除党籍和公职". Central Commission for Discipline Inspection. Retrieved 2017-08-03.
5. William Zheng; Nectar Gan (16 January 2019). "China corruption watchdog's big catch Zhao Zhengyong linked to string of scandals". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 12 January 2021.