Head Of Major Chinese Bank Found Dead

The head of a major bank in northern China was found dead in his office in an apparent suicide, state media reported Monday, in the latest in a recent string of deaths among government and ruling Communist Party officials.

Tianjin Rural Commercial Bank Chairman Yin Jinbao was found on Saturday afternoon with both of his wrists slit, official state media said.

Yin also served as head of the bank's ruling Communist Party committee, giving him quasi-government official status.

Yin's bank was under inspection and he was under pressure over major losses and scandals at another bank in Tianjin where he served as chairman until last year, the reports said.

Other officials who have died or killed themselves in recent days include a deputy secretary of the Beijing city government who reportedly suffered from depression.

Middle and upper-level Chinese officials are often under intense pressure to boost revenue and economic growth amid local government debt.

President Xi Jinping has been pursuing a relentless campaign against waste and corruption that has seen well over a million officials punished over the past five years. Such penalties often come only after a lengthy and highly invasive investigation that can include being detained for lengthy periods without contact with family or legal counsel. (AP)