Politician at centre of Sichuan graft probe 'helped relatives, friends, secure lucrative land deals'
Li Chuncheng, detained on suspicion of graft, helped arrange lucrative property purchases for friends and relatives, newspaper report says
Li Chuncheng, the former deputy Communist Party chief in Sichuan province who is under investigation for corruption, allegedly used his power to help relatives and friends buy land cheaply, according to a media report.
Li's brother bought land near the site of an administrative centre in Chengdu before the project was officially announced and later sold the plots for four times the price, said.
Li, who is a close ally of the retired national security tsar Zhou Yongkang - believed also to be under investigation for graft - helped businessmen from Heilongjiang province buy cheap land and secure government contracts in the city, the newspaper reported.
Li Chuncheng used his position to seek benefits for others and received a large amount of bribes
The Communist Party's anti-graft watchdog, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, announced in April Li would be stripped of his official titles and party membership after a prolonged investigation. Details were first announced in December 2012.
"Li Chuncheng used his position to seek benefits for others and received a large amount of bribes," a statement from the commission said. "His wife and daughter received large amounts of goods from other people and Li abused his position to help his brother's business," it said.
