Lu Wei, former deputy head of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and onetime head of the country’s Cyberspace Administration, has been ousted from the party following charges he took bribes while in office.
According to the Macau Daily Times, Lu was dismissed after an investigation by the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection. The probe found that Lu “severely violated the Party’s political discipline and rules,” the Times reported. “While appearing to be obedient, he covertly refused to implement the Party’s decisions and polices in practice,” the CCDI said in a statement.
The CCDI accused Lu of deceiving the CPC Central Committee, defying the rules; “acting wantonly”; criticizing the CPC Central Committee’s decisions and policies; engaging in factionalism; and “selectively enforcing” the party’s “strategic arrangements on internet work”; as well as being corrupt and abusing his powers. He will be “dealt with according to law,” the CCDI promised.
During his time in office, Lu wielded considerable power and influence over what China’s 700 million internet users could view online. He also was a gatekeeper for technology companies who wanted to do business in China. He reportedly took action to restrict the activities of foreign internet companies and block social networks like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
