China probes former Tibet leader over bribes, ‘superstitious activities'
Qizhala — who was governor of the western region from 2017 to 2021 — was dismissed over 'serious violations of discipline', a statement said, a common euphemism for corruption.
He had most recently served as a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, the country's main political advisory body.
Beijing's Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and National Supervisory Commission said Qizhala 'betrayed' his original mission by accepting bribes and misusing public funds to host illegal banquets.
He also colluded with business owners to secure favourable contracts and engaged in 'superstitious activities' over a long period, they said.
His family were also accused of using his official position for personal gain.
Ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) members are banned from participating in 'superstitious activities' — including some religious practices that 'erode' a cadre's loyalties.
Religion is tightly controlled in Tibet, where Chinese troops in 1959 crushed an uprising in the capital forcing its spiritual leader the Dalai Lama to flee.
United Nations experts have raised alarm at Chinese government policies allegedly aimed at assimilating Tibetan people culturally, religiously and linguistically.
Last week, a court in Beijing handed a suspended death sentence to Wu Yingjie, the head of the CCP in the region from 2016 to 2021, for taking bribes worth almost $50 million.
Wu was expelled from the party in December, also over 'serious violations of discipline.'
President Xi Jinping has overseen a wide-ranging campaign against official graft since coming to power over a decade ago. Critics say it also serves as a way to purge political rivals.
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