A college student has pledged to continue to press government agencies to disclose the salary of a former official whose collection of luxury wristwatches has aroused speculation about how he could afford them.
Liu Yanfeng, a sophomore majoring in public management at China Three Gorges University in Hubei province, arrived in Beijing on Monday to look for lawyers to represent him.
Liu wants to apply for an administrative review or file a lawsuit against two government agencies in Shaanxi province that have not disclosed the income of Yang Dacai, the former director of the provincial administration of work safety.
Previously, the Shaanxi provincial financial department declined to disclose Yang's salary, saying it is not required to do so by China's Regulation on the Disclosure of Government Information.
The provincial administration of work safety had not responded to Liu's request for the information as of Monday.
Liu asked the two agencies to disclose the salary after photos of Yang wearing at least 11 expensive watches at different times aroused discussions about how a public servant could afford to buy them.
On Friday, the Shaanxi Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Communist Party of China announced Yang's dismissal after an investigation found he seriously violated Party discipline rules.
The commission opened the investigation after a photograph of the official smiling at the scene of a deadly sleeper bus crash was posted on a popular micro-blogging site and stirred public debate. Later, photos surfaced of Yang wearing a number of luxury watches on different occasions and prompted deeper questions from netizens.
Mo Yuchuan, a law professor at Renmin University of China, said the provincial government should release information on Yang's salary, even though it is not legally required to do so.
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