Politician at centre of Sichuan graft probe 'helped relatives, friends, secure lucrative land deals'

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.

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.

Li's brother, Li Chunming, owned several property companies in Chengdu with other relatives, according to the newspaper. The companies were little known, but highly successful in securing land with huge appreciation potential, said the report.

Li's brother bought several hundred mu of land near the city's new administrative centre for 500,000 yuan (HK$629,000) per mu before the scheme was formally announced. He resold the land slots for 2 million yuan per mu, the newspaper said. There are 15 mu to one hectare.