Liu Tienan
The government is seeking action against Liu Tienan, who was accused in December by a journalist of plotting to kill his mistress. Reuters

The Chinese agency responsible for taking disciplinary action against political figures said it was investigating the head of the commission that oversees the country’s economic planning following accusations by a local prominent journalist, which includes allegations of plotting to commit murder.

"Liu Tienan, a deputy director of the National Development and Reform Commission, is being investigated over suspected serious disciplinary violations," state news agency Xinhua reports, citing an announcement Sunday from the Communist Party’s Central Commission for Discipline Inspection.

The investigation comes amid a stated crackdown on corruption under the recently appointed administration of President Xi Jinping, who has pledged to clean house.

No information into the nature of the allegations was provided in the short statement issued by the disciplinary agency.

According to Luo Changping, deputy editor of respected Caijing magazine, who first made public allegations against Liu in December, the official has made false claims of his academic record, has been involved in sketchy financial deals and plotted to murder his mistress -- all bold allegations for a journalist to make against a high-ranking state official.

Liu, who was born in 1954, has been involved in Chinese politics since 1996 when he started as an economic attaché at the Chinese Embassy in Tokyo. He has been involved in the commission since 1999 and was also director of the National Energy Commission until he stepped down in March.

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