CHANGSHA - An official in central China's Hunan Province was placed under judicial investigation after a photo of him wearing a Louis Vuitton belt went viral on social media, local authorities said on Saturday.

Users of Weibo, China's Twitter-like microblogging website, lambasted the state-owned Rucheng County water and electricity company general manager, Li Jianguo, and questioned how he could afford such an extravagant accessory.

The online brouhaha was brought to the attention of the local Communist Party of China (CPC) discipline watchdog, which responded by reviewing Li's finances.

The watchdog said it suspected Li had broken the law and violated Party regulations.

Other high profile officials have faced public scrutiny following the posting of photographs featuring them with luxury watches or even cigarettes on social media.