Top mainland press official Jiao Li dismissed amid corruption claims
Former close aide to propaganda chief may also face discipline in rumoured link to sex scandals
Jiao Li , a former close aide to top Communist Party propaganda official Liu Yunshan , has been dismissed as deputy director of the General Administration of Press and Publications (GAPP) in a sign that he could face party discipline over rumoured links to corruption and sex scandals.
His biographical details have been removed from a section on the administration's official website about its leaders. A GAPP official refused yesterday to say when he was dismissed.
"But as far as I know he's never come to work at GAPP," the official added.
Jiao, 57, was transferred to GAPP, the mainland's top press regulator, in January after being abruptly removed as president of China Central Television (CCTV) in November.
A mid-ranking CCTV official, who declined to be named, said yesterday that Jiao, who became the state broadcaster's president in May 2009, had been unpopular for introducing a number of controversial measures, including a drastic pay cut.
She said Jiao also stoked widespread discontent with his aggressive enforcement of the party line at CCTV via a "go grass roots" campaign in the second half of last year that focused on propaganda-style reporting.
