A finance official in Hubei province has been suspended and is under investigation on suspicion of abuse of power, Chinese media reported on Tuesday.

Luo Shiqun, deputy director of the finance bureau in Xiangzhou district of Xiangyang, was accused of irregularly hiring his son to work in his bureau and has been suspended, the People's Daily website quoted the district's discipline watchdog as saying.

Whistle-blowers said online that Luo had hired his son even before the son was admitted to the university, seriously violating government regulations. The accusations aroused wide public attention and spurred local authorities to look into the case.

Luo's son has been sacked and an investigation is under way, the district's officials said.