Former Minhang police chief removed from office, expelled from Party

Zheng Wenbin, former police chief and a vice head of Minhang District, has been removed from office and expelled from the Communist Party of China for serious discipline offenses, Shanghai's discipline watchdog announced on Tuesday.

Having allegedly asked for or taken a huge amount of bribes, he could be prosecuted later on criminal charges, according to the watchdog.

Zheng was said to have greatly contaminated the political ecology of the field of his job and severely damaged the image of the police with his "treacherous, flamboyant, willful, power-abusing and insatiably greedy behaviors."

His offenses allegedly included wantonly interfering in government procurement and law enforcement activities; taking advantage of his position to seek favors for other people; getting engaged in profitable activities, which were against job integrity rules; attending banquets that could affect unbiased execution of his duty; and using government cars for private purposes.

Zheng, born in 1967, had a long career in Shanghai's police force and had also worked as the police chief and a vice head of Putuo District.

He was first announced to be under probe by the city's discipline watchdog in December last year.