NEARLY 6,400 households that have passed the second round of official checks on their eligibility for government low-cost housing were Thursday released for further public scrutiny.
The eligibility list was made public nearly six months after the first round of public inquiries in late March, according to the Southern Metropolis Daily on Thursday. The original schedule for the second round of government assessment was only 15 days.
It took longer because many irregular practices were uncovered by the public during the first round of publicity, an unidentified official with the city housing and construction bureau told the Daily. The government agency is in charge of the government-subsidized housing project.
Staff of each subdistrict government office conducted more thorough checks to verify the information submitted by applicants to guarantee fairness, the official said.
Following the first round of government assessments, when the eligibility list of 7,850 applicants was made public March 27, it was found to be riddled with fraudulent claims and forged financial documents.
Some claimed in their application forms that their family assets were zero while a low-cost home costs no less than 300,000 yuan (US$44,780). According to government regulations, a family s total assets should not exceed 280,000 yuan in order to be eligible to buy a low-cost home.
Nearly 300 applicants were also discovered to be working for government agencies, including Shenzhen Customs, the public security bureau and the safety supervision department. They claimed they earned less than 3,000 yuan a month on the application forms, despite actually making far more.
Another four applicants were found to be living in upmarket residential areas, with housing prices as high as 50,000 yuan per square meter.
The revelations caused a public outcry that forced some applicants to quit the process, with several officials being removed from the eligibility list. One official, identified as Shi, reported zero family assets and a monthly income of less than 2,000 yuan on his application form. He later admitted paying about 2,000 euros a year for his son s education at an expensive French university, according to a Guangzhou Daily report.
The second-round of public scrutiny will be made public until Nov. 4 before the final round of assessment begins.
Applicants must go through three assessments at subdistrict, district and city levels before being approved to buy a low-cost home. The final assessment will verify the applicants bank accounts, social insurance, stock trades and housing.
(SD News)
