Ex-GM of China Datang Corp expelled from Party

Kou Wei, former general manager of China Datang Corporation Ltd, has been expelled from the Communist Party of China for severely violating disciplines and laws, the country's top anti-corruption watchdogs said.

The CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Commission of Supervision announced the decision on Friday after an investigation.

The commissions said in a statement that Kou was disloyal to the Party and dishonest, and that he resisted the investigation conducted by the Party organizations and participated in superstitious activities.

Kou was found to have illegally accepted gifts and banquets and visited private clubs, the statement said, adding that he also sought profits for others, with illegal engagement in business operations and involvement in exchanges of power, sex and money.

In addition, he was discovered to have embezzled a large amount of public funds and profited from the energy sector he used to work in, turning public power into a tool for personal gain, even after he had retired, it noted.

Furthermore, it revealed that Kou abused power and accepted huge sums of money in return for seeking benefits for others in project contracting, business operations, thereby causing particularly significant damage to national interests.

"Kou seriously violated the Party disciplines, so we decided to expel him from the Party, with his illicit gains confiscated," the commissions said in the statement, adding that the clues indicating his suspected crimes have also been transferred to prosecutors for further review.

Kou, 63, a native of Yunnan province, started his career in 1983, serving in various positions in his hometown's electric power industry. In July 2016, he became general manager of the State Grid Corporation of China.

In January 2020, he held the post of general manager of China Datang Corporation Ltd. Founded in 2002, the corporation is one of the largest power suppliers in the country, focusing on the business of electric power, coal and chemical industry, finance, environmental protection, trade, logistics and emerging fields, according to the company's website.

At the end of last year, Kou was probed for suspected severe violations of the Party's disciplines and national laws.