CRI听力: Officials in Trouble - Stood Down or Dismissed?

A car accident in eastern China's Anhui province has caused one death and injured four others.

The driver, a senior local official, has given himself up to police and has been stood down pending a legal enquiry.

But a commentary from the 'Beijing Youth Daily' questions why the official has not been directly dismissed from his current position in the wake of such a serious accident. (www.hXen.com)

It suggests the handling of the case leaves the possibility of him resuming his political career.

According to governmental rules, dismissed officials in China may face a two-year long administrative sanction and a much lower position if re-hired after that.

But being stood down is quite a normal procedure.

It enables the same-level transfer of officials under investigation, or even a future promotion.

The writer cites a few recent examples of corrupt officials being stood down and later reinstated into higher level governmental positions.

Most of these cases have triggered a wide range of criticism from the public.

The commentary also urges amendments to the regulations to ensure appropriate treatment of such officials.