Zhang Lebin Deputy Religion Chief under Investigation for Suspected Graft

A deputy head of the Chinese government department which oversees religious groups is being investigated for suspected graft， the ruling Communist Partys anti-corruption watchdog said.

Zhang Lebin， a deputy director of the State Administration of Religious Affairs， is suspected of “serious discipline violations”， the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection said， using the usual euphemism for corruption.

It provided no other details and it was not possible to reach Zhang for comment.

Zhang， 61， joined the religious administration in 2003， where he was initially in charge of rooting out corruption， according to his official biography.

He had risen up through the party ranks mostly in the Communist Youth League， a power- base for former president Hu Jintao.

Hus successor， Xi Jinping， has warned that corruption threatens the partys survival and his three-year anti-graft campaign has brought down scores of senior officials in the party， the government， the military and state-owned enterprises.

About half of Chinas estimated 100 million religious followers are Christians or Muslims， with the rest Buddhists or Daoists， the government says， though it thinks the real number of believers is probably much higher.

Rights groups say despite promises of freedom of belief， the official atheist Communist Party enforces tough controls， especially on Christians， Muslims and Tibetan Buddhists. Beijing has also banned several spiritual groups as “evil cults”.