Shanxi coal investigation reveals corruption

The government has punished 906 officials in China’s coal hub of Shanxi province between January and November in a crackdown on corruption in the mining industry, state media reported. Among those punished were the former vice-mayor and the former public security chief of Datong city, who were discovered to have taken bribes. Since the campaign was launched in July 2008, a total of US$4.6 billion in illegal funds have been seized by the authorities. Shanxi’s coal mines – which hold an estimated 260 billions tons of known deposits – have been the site of countless fatalities from mining accidents, sparking accusations of corruption and incompetence on the part of both government officials and mine operators.