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BEIJING, August 7 (Reuters) - China has punished a group of law enforcement officials who faked a letter of invitation from Finland's justice department because they wanted to get a free tour of Europe, state media reported on Tuesday.
The group of 10, from central Anhui province's prosecutor's department, were deported upon arriving at Helsinki airport when Finnish officials sniffed out the ruse, the semi-official China News Service said.
The "inspection tour" was at least in part legitimate, though.
"The responsible people in the inspection group changed the route to be taken without authorisation, and added a few more destination countries," the report said, without elaborating.
The main instigator, deputy head of Anhui's prosecutor's office Xu Wenai, was fired and thrown out of the Communist Party, it added.
The Chinese government pays for officials to go abroad, ostensibly to learn about modernisation, but in recent years there have been scandals when officials have brought along their families and used the trips only for shopping.
"As a result of this case, the central government will take action to tighten exit and entry controls across China and run more check-ups on party officials who wish to travel abroad," it said.
China's leaders have pledged to crack down on corruption which has become rampant since market reforms in the 1980s, prompting the Communist Party to warn it could threaten its rule if not curbed.
But anti-graft investigators are hampered by a political system that permits few checks and balances on official power and by a judiciary packed with party-appointed judges.
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