Top bosses at website of Communist Party newspaper People's Daily detained for suspected graft

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Published: 2:15am, 29 Aug 2015Updated: 12:25pm, 29 Aug 2015

The president and a vice-president of People.cn - the website of - have been taken away by Henan prosecutors for alleged bribery, state media reported yesterday.

Several mainland media outlets reported the news last night but their stories were quickly removed.

The president Liao Hong, 52, helped to launch the website in 1997, according to his public profile. He joined the newspaper after graduating from Beijing University of Technology 30years ago.

He was detained along with website vice-president Chen Zhixia, 44, Xinhua and CCTV reported, without specifying when this happened or why Henan prosecutors were tasked with the job. It's possible the top prosecutor's office had concerns over a potential conflict of interest for local prosecutors.

People.cn's corporate vehicle suspended trading on the Shanghai stock exchange yesterday afternoon, citing a need to "clarify media reports", according to a company announcement. Shares had risen 2.28 per cent before the suspension.

A media source close to the website, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the investigation into Liao and Chen was related to the detention of a deputy editor at the website, Xu Hui, in May.

Xu had allegedly threatened to run negative stories about companies unless they agreed to advertising deals. Liao's last public appearance was on August 20, when he spoke at a forum in Shenzhen about the integration of traditional and digital media.