China goes after funeral officials for making a killing from the dead

By Anadolu staff

China's anti-corruption squads launched investigation against the funeral officials for making money through illegal ways, local media reported on Tuesday.

Chinese anti-corruption investigators recently detained Zhang Duo from the Panji district funeral home in Huainan, Anhui province, for “serious violations of discipline and law,” South China Morning Post reported.

However, the officials didn't share further details about the allegations against Zhang.

Most of China’s funeral parlors are managed under the direct supervision of civil affairs authorities, and are monopolies with a reputation for opaque pricing and substandard services – which in turn is fertile ground for corruption, according to the report.

Earlier, authorities also launched investigation in neighboring city of Wuhu against Jiang Junsheng, the director of its municipal funeral service administrative office, as well as against Jiang’s deputy, Ren Yongsheng.

While in Jilin province, director of the Huinan county funeral home, Lu Wanjun, lost his job in May for charging families for services that were never provided. He was handed over to criminal prosecutors and will face trial.

About 258 billion yuan ($36 billion) was spent on funerals and associated services such as tombs in 2020, according to the report.

Earlier, in 2015, state-run media reported that many funeral homes were making extra money selling overpriced urns and funeral clothes for the deceased, and the civil affairs officials in charge of the operations were taking a cut of the sales.

Some funeral homes were also found to have given out fake cremation certificates, while allowing the deceased’s family to bury the body, a traditional practice now banned in most parts of the country because of the limited available land, said the report.

*Writing by Islamuddin Sajid