A district-level food and drug bureau in Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, has been criticized for taking donation and its leaders had been punished according to administrative and Party rules.

The State Food and Drug Administration said in a notice that the Changan branch of the Xi'an bureau had demanded donations from drug companies when holding a ceremony to celebrate its opening.

"Changan bureau has disregarded related rules of the government and the Communist Party of China (CPC)," said the notice.

The bureau leaders had held a special meeting to reach the decision of demanding donation from the companies, it said.

Other bureau personnel who had taken part in the bribery were also punished accordingly.

A joint investigation team consisting of members from city, provincial and central CPC organs in charge of disciplinary inspection probed into the case to decided it as "severely rule-bending".

"The case is severe in nature and has produced very bad effect in the society," said the notice.

Changan bureau had been ordered to return all donation money and apologize to the companies who were forced to offer donation.

The administration asked the country's food and drug authority at different levels to learn lesson from the case, referring it as an "negative textbook".

The CPC held two news conferences last month disclosing a set of in-Party scandals with more than 400 civil servants and eight CPC officials being punished for bribery.

The ruling Party is now undergoing a nationwide reshuffle of leading groups at provincial, prefectural, county and township levels, which makes the scandals more eye-catching than ever.

(Xinhua News Agency August 3, 2006)