Grocery store deliverymen carry the residential group purchase items to their designated areas in Shanghai on April 1, 2022. Photo: VCG

Two township officials in Shanghai were removed from their positions for further investigations after residents reported that they received unqualified pork products as livelihood supply during the community lockdown. Four vendors related to the case are subjected to criminal coercive measures.

On Tuesday, Ren Weiping, a deputy mayor of Meilong township in Shanghai's Minhang district, and Li Shuang, director of the township's economic development office, were removed from their posts because of dereliction of duty, reported the Xinhua News Agency.

Due to the officials' dereliction of duty, substandard pork products were distributed to community residents and caused serious adverse effects, according to official release.

A group of vendors responsible for providing the pork products to the township government were also arrested and subjected to criminal compulsory measures.

After receiving report from local residents, the police and market supervision and management departments jointly investigated the case and found that the pork products were purchased from a company at a cost of 7.6 million yuan ($1.19 million) by the Meilong township government. The pork products were procured by a few vendors at a cost of more than 3 million yuan. During the distribution, the public found excessive fat, poor taste and deterioration in some of the pork products.

The public security authorities have identified that three suspects who, knowing that the products provided were of questionable quality, sold them at substandard prices and at market prices for large amounts. A fourth suspect, who knew that the three people were selling shoddy products, still provided financial support to them. All the four people have been taken into compulsory measures for the selling counterfeit and shoddy products.

Further investigations of the case are underway.

Global Times