Restaurant bills cause graft probe against tobacco chief in China

GUANGZHOU - A senior government official in south China has landed in big trouble following the startling discovery about his spendthrift lifestyle-he ran up restaurant bills of 130,000 yuan (about $19,750) in a single day!

Subject of a graft probe since the discovery, the official has been placed under suspension Chen Wenzhu, director of Tobacco Bureau of Shanwei City, Guangdong Province, was also found to be illegally holding two different ID cards and two residence registration booklets, know as \”hukou\”, Xinhua Thursday quoted Lin Jianhua, administrative director with the Provincial Tobacco Monopoly Bureau as saying.

Lin said, bureau investigators have also confirmed claims made by netizens and news organizations that Chen travelled extensively abroad.

The discovery about Chen\’s lifestyle was made after officials from Guangdong\’s tobacco administrations, discipline inspection and audit authorities arrived in Shanwei, an administrative division of China, to investigate allegations of frequent luxury banquets and exorbitant expenses claimed by Chen\’s bureau and the employment of many of Chen\’s relatives there.

Netizens called on investigators to determine whether Chen had unexplained assets or was involved in economic crimes.

News organizations have reported that Chen\’s bureau spent more than 2 million yuan in last March for entertainment activities; mainly dining and gift purchases.

One meal is alleged to have cost 80,000 yuan (about