Qi Yumin, the former chairman of Huachen Automotive Group — parent of BMW Group’s joint venture partner Brilliance Automotive Holdings — is being investigated for violating regulations by an anti-corruption panel under the central committee of the Chinese Communist Party.
Information on the probe was posted on the CPC’s Central Commission for Discipline Inspection website last week. Details on the investigation or Qi’s misconduct have not disclosed.
Qi, 60, is a CPC member. He retired from Huachen Auto in March 2019 after serving as chairman of the state-owned automaker since 2005.
The probe of Qi was disclosed shortly after Huachen Auto sought bankruptcy protection.
After defaulting on a 1-billion-yuan ($153 million) bond in October, the company was approved for bankruptcy protection on November 20 by a court in the northeast China city of Shenyang.
Huachen Auto, based in Shenyang, also runs a light commercial vehicle joint venture with Renault SA in the city that now builds and markets vans under the Jinbei brand.