Former China Internet regulator probed for suspected graft
The former head of China's Internet regulator is under investigation for suspected corruption, the discipline arm of the Communist Party of China said on Tuesday, the latest senior official to be caught up in a sweeping campaign against graft.
In a brief statement, the party's corruption-busting Central Commission for Discipline Inspection said that Lu Wei was suspected of serious discipline breaches, using a common euphemism for graft.
It provided no other details, and it was not possible to reach Lu or a representative for comment.
In a separate statement, the commission said that the investigation into Lu, the first into a senior official since the end of last month's Party congress, showed the Party's determination to tackle corruption and sent a strong message.
"Managing and governing the Party won't rest for a moment," it wrote, shortly after making the announcement about Lu. "The serious and complex state of the anti-corruption struggle has not changed."
Lu worked his way up through China's official Xinhua news agency before becoming head of publicity department in the Chinese capital Beijing and then moving on to Internet work in 2013.
He ran the Internet regulator until June 2016, when another official took over. Lu subsequently became a deputy head of the publicity department of the CPC.
President Xi Jinping has waged war against deep-rooted corruption since taking office five years ago.