Zhejiang to crack down on duty-related crimes involving poverty alleviation funds
By Ai Yang
Original, GPIG, 10-25-2016
As ordered by the Supreme People’s Procuratorate and the State Council Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development (LGOPAD), the People’s Procuratorate and the Poverty Alleviation and Development Office in Zhejiang Province will launch a five-year campaign to prevent and crack down on duty-related crimes involving poverty alleviation funds.
The campaign will look into key areas involving poverty alleviation funds such as relocation, industry-led poverty alleviation, financial poverty alleviation, special aid, farmers training, as well as social aid, educational poverty alleviation and ecological compensation. It will investigate duty-related crimes that take place at all levels, such as funds allocation, project application, project approval, allocation and management, project implementation and inspection and delivery.
According to the Zhejiang procuratorate, these areas are where crimes are most likely to take place and strengthened supervision is most needed. Duty-related crimes in agricultural poverty alleviation are included in the campaign. Fraudulent application and claims, funds withholding, squandering, as well as illegal occupying, bribery and embezzlement involving land requisitions and agricultural funds will be severely punished.
According to statistics, in 2014 and 2015 the procuratorate investigated 397 duty-related crimes and 477 people involved in agricultural poverty alleviation funds. The total amount involved was 249 million yuan. Behind such huge numbers are loopholes in the system.
In 2014, the People’s Procuratorate of Jindong District, Jinhua City, handled a very typical resettlement case involving village officials. The resettlement project is one of ten projects initiated by the local government in Jinhua city. It aims to relocate farmers from mountainous areas and lift them out of poverty. However, in Yajuan Village, Xiaoshun Town, Jindong District, the project was hijacked. The village Party Secretary, village director, supervision committee director, and committee member of the village Party branch at the time abused their power. They conspired with the cultivator’s owner and obtained a special fund by reporting false machine hours and forging signatures. The fraudulent bill was then sent to the local authority and they swindled a relocation and resettlement fund of 198,000 yuan. Other officials in the village were not directly involved in the act, but they all received money. The three village committee members each got 5,000 yuan, the village accountant got 2,000 yuan, the village cashier got 3,000 yuan and the college student village official got 2,000 yuan. Fortunately, they were all exposed and punished.
Many problems still exist in poverty alleviation funds management in Zhejiang. For example, in some areas projects are not implemented in time and the funds delayed; in other cases, the fund allocation and management system and poverty alleviation project announcement system are not up to standard, increasing risks of misuse.
The Poverty Alleviation and Development Office in Zhejiang Province will strengthen agricultural poverty alleviation fund supervision by regulating the fund management system, releasing administrative approval power to counties and townships and encouraging competition for resource allocation, so that projects that have most effectively increased farmers’ incomes and places where fund management is most efficient and best regulated will receive more funds. The office will also authorize third-party inspectors to conduct special fund inspections in cities, counties and districts where poverty alleviation funds are allocated, ensuring a 70% on-site inspection rate, and a 100% special funds accounts inspection rate. Besides public announcements in villages, townships and counties regarding poverty alleviation policies, funds and special projects, the information will be released on the internet, and a supervision hotline will be set up to receive tip-offs from the public.
According to the People’s Procuratorate of Zhejiang Province, duty-related crimes involving agricultural poverty alleviation funds fit into several categories: some officials and village Party officials conspire to embezzle funds by making up fraudulent claims and forging signatures; some officials intercept funds and take advantage of resources by abusing their project administrative approval power; and some officials are negligent, tolerating funds misuse and squandering.
Zhejiang has placed key focus on the 26 counties, cities and districts that were lifted out of poverty, and the counties and townships where the Income Doubling Plan for Farmers were implemented in 2015. A large amount of poverty alleviation funds have been allocated to these places, and the procuratorate will be watching them to prevent duty-related crimes. Suggestion and complaints boxes will be set up in villages to invite more public participation in supervision, and inspection stations will be set up in key villages with Village First Secretaries or college student village officials working as inspectors.
By Ai Yang
Original, GPIG, 10-25-2016
As ordered by the Supreme People’s Procuratorate and the State Council Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development (LGOPAD), the People’s Procuratorate and the Poverty Alleviation and Development Office in Zhejiang Province will launch a five-year campaign to prevent and crack down on duty-related crimes involving poverty alleviation funds.
The campaign will look into key areas involving poverty alleviation funds such as relocation, industry-led poverty alleviation, financial poverty alleviation, special aid, farmers training, as well as social aid, educational poverty alleviation and ecological compensation. It will investigate duty-related crimes that take place at all levels, such as funds allocation, project application, project approval, allocation and management, project implementation and inspection and delivery.
According to the Zhejiang procuratorate, these areas are where crimes are most likely to take place and strengthened supervision is most needed. Duty-related crimes in agricultural poverty alleviation are included in the campaign. Fraudulent application and claims, funds withholding, squandering, as well as illegal occupying, bribery and embezzlement involving land requisitions and agricultural funds will be severely punished.
According to statistics, in 2014 and 2015 the procuratorate investigated 397 duty-related crimes and 477 people involved in agricultural poverty alleviation funds. The total amount involved was 249 million yuan. Behind such huge numbers are loopholes in the system.
In 2014, the People’s Procuratorate of Jindong District, Jinhua City, handled a very typical resettlement case involving village officials. The resettlement project is one of ten projects initiated by the local government in Jinhua city. It aims to relocate farmers from mountainous areas and lift them out of poverty. However, in Yajuan Village, Xiaoshun Town, Jindong District, the project was hijacked. The village Party Secretary, village director, supervision committee director, and committee member of the village Party branch at the time abused their power. They conspired with the cultivator’s owner and obtained a special fund by reporting false machine hours and forging signatures. The fraudulent bill was then sent to the local authority and they swindled a relocation and resettlement fund of 198,000 yuan. Other officials in the village were not directly involved in the act, but they all received money. The three village committee members each got 5,000 yuan, the village accountant got 2,000 yuan, the village cashier got 3,000 yuan and the college student village official got 2,000 yuan. Fortunately, they were all exposed and punished.
Many problems still exist in poverty alleviation funds management in Zhejiang. For example, in some areas projects are not implemented in time and the funds delayed; in other cases, the fund allocation and management system and poverty alleviation project announcement system are not up to standard, increasing risks of misuse.
The Poverty Alleviation and Development Office in Zhejiang Province will strengthen agricultural poverty alleviation fund supervision by regulating the fund management system, releasing administrative approval power to counties and townships and encouraging competition for resource allocation, so that projects that have most effectively increased farmers’ incomes and places where fund management is most efficient and best regulated will receive more funds. The office will also authorize third-party inspectors to conduct special fund inspections in cities, counties and districts where poverty alleviation funds are allocated, ensuring a 70% on-site inspection rate, and a 100% special funds accounts inspection rate. Besides public announcements in villages, townships and counties regarding poverty alleviation policies, funds and special projects, the information will be released on the internet, and a supervision hotline will be set up to receive tip-offs from the public.
According to the People’s Procuratorate of Zhejiang Province, duty-related crimes involving agricultural poverty alleviation funds fit into several categories: some officials and village Party officials conspire to embezzle funds by making up fraudulent claims and forging signatures; some officials intercept funds and take advantage of resources by abusing their project administrative approval power; and some officials are negligent, tolerating funds misuse and squandering.
Zhejiang has placed key focus on the 26 counties, cities and districts that were lifted out of poverty, and the counties and townships where the Income Doubling Plan for Farmers were implemented in 2015. A large amount of poverty alleviation funds have been allocated to these places, and the procuratorate will be watching them to prevent duty-related crimes. Suggestion and complaints boxes will be set up in villages to invite more public participation in supervision, and inspection stations will be set up in key villages with Village First Secretaries or college student village officials working as inspectors.
