China arrests former head of religious affairs body

The former head of China’s religious affairs regulator, Cui Maohu has been arrested on suspicion of taking bribes, the official Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported on Monday.

The National Supervisory Commission has concluded its investigation of him and recently transferred his case to prosecutorial authorities for examination and prosecution, the statement said.

The statement comes five days after the Communist Party of China Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) and the NSC (National Supervisory Commission) announced Cui’s expulsion from the Party and removal from his public posts. He was accused of seriously violating Party discipline and national laws.

His qualification as a delegate to the 20th CPC National Congress was also terminated, according to the CCDI and NSC, the nation’s top anti-graft watchdogs.

Cui also served as deputy head of the United Front Work Department of the CPC Central Committee. He was promoted to the posts of director of the National Religious Affairs Administration and deputy head of the United Front Work Department in June 2022, coming from his previous role as vice-governor of Yunnan province.

It was determined that Cui failed to commit to implementing the decisions and plans of the Party Central Committee, occupied farmland for vanity projects, and resisted investigations into his performance.

He engaged in practices of extravagance and hedonism, violating the central Party leadership’s eight-point decision on improving Party and government conduct, such as accepting invitations to banquets and trips that could affect his impartiality in the performance of official duties. He also failed to report his personal information as required, the watchdogs said.

Furthermore, Cui accepted gifts and money and used his influence to allow his relatives and others to profit from business contracts, the CCDI and NSC said. He also intervened in judicial proceedings and took advantage of his position to seek profit for others in project contracting and in the selection and appointment of officials, accepting significant amounts of money and property in return, they said.

He was placed under disciplinary review and supervisory investigation in March of this year.

Cui, 57, is a native of Yunnan and spent nearly his entire career in the province. He began working as a teacher in Qujing, Yunnan, in 1987.

In 1994, he started his over 20-year career at the Organization Department of the Yunnan Provincial Party Committee. From December 2007 to May 2017, he served as the deputy head of the department.

In May 2021, he was elected vice-governor of Yunnan and served in that post for nearly one year. In June, he was appointed as the director of the National Religious Affairs Administration.