China’s anti-corruption watchdog said the harmful legacy left by former CPC Central Committee Politburo member Bo Xilai and his close ally Wang Lijun, both of whom were charged for corruption, has not been wiped out completely in Chongqing where Bo had served as the Party chief. 

The conclusion was drawn after a two-month inspection that ended early January, according to a statement by CPC Central Committee of Discipline Inspection (CCDI) published Monday

Xu Lingyi, head of the inspection team, urged Chongqing officials to seriously address the problems of Bo and Wang’s remaining influence, calling them to adhere to the Party’s central leadership of Xi Jinping as its core.

Bo’s fall in 2012 had shocked China, as the then Party chief of Chongqing was removed from his post after attending the country’s annual congressional session in Beijing in March of that year.

It was followed by the dramatic fleeing of Bo’s aid, Wang, the former police chief of Chongqing, to the US consulate in Chengdu. Wang was charged with defection, power abuse and bribe-taking in September, and was later convicted and jailed for 15 years.

Bo went on a trial in August 2013 at the Intermediate People’s Court in Jinan, Shandong Province, and was sentenced to life for corruption, bribery and abuse of power.

Without elaborating on Bo and Wang’s legacy, Xu said the city had not done enough to seriously eradicate their “poisonous legacy,” urging officials to tighten their supervision to build a “positive political ecology.”

Xu, who was attending a meeting in the municipality on Saturday, also warned officials that problems including corruption in state-owned enterprises (SOEs) were still severe.

The latest inspections also covered Beijing, Gansu and Guangxi.

Addressing Beijing officials in a meeting on Sunday, Xu said problems related to the city’s former deputy Party secretary Lv Xiwen had not been dealt in a timely manner.

Lv was first senior official in the capital investigated for graft in 2015. The female official went on a trial last December and was charged with taking bribe during her governance of Beijing’s Xicheng District and Party’s Committee Organization Department from 2001 to 2015.

Some problems uncovered during the previous inspection, including lowly officials involved in huge corruption, improper selection and appointment of officials, and violations of the eight-point frugality rules, were found to have recurred, Xu said in the meeting. 

The city’s Party secretary, Guo Jinlong, who also attended the meeting, said he will make sure these problems are being addressed properly and effectively.

In Guangxi, CCDI inspectors also found that some sectors, including land, transportation, forestry and SOEs, were more prone to be corrupt, and in Gansu, risks of corruption were high in sectors like transportation, civil aviation, land and culture.