A close aide of former Chinese President Hu Jintao was today charged with taking bribes, illegally obtaining state secrets and abuse of power as the high-profile anti-graft campaign launched by President Xi Jinping targeted major power centres in the previous regime.
Ling Jihua, 59, who wielded considerable power under Mr. Hu’s administration as the vice-chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, and head of the United Front Work Department of the Communist Party of China before he fell from grace.
In 2014, a year after Mr. Xi came to power, he was put under investigation.
China’s Supreme People’s Procuratorate in a statement said that following the investigation, it has designated the No. 1 branch of Tianjin Municipal People’s Procuratorate to exercise jurisdiction over the case.
Mr. Ling’s high-profile world came down when his son Ling Gu, driving a $83,000-worth Ferrari sports car, died in a crash Beijing in March 2012. Two young women, who were in the car, were seriously injured. There were allegations of a cover-up.
Abuse of power Mr. Ling also allegedly used his many high-ranking positions as a way to solicit bribes, seek favours for friends and illegally obtain state secrets.
He was one of the several top CPC politicians who were prosecuted for corruption and abuse of power in Mr. Xi’s anti-corruption campaign in which thousands of officials from different ranks were prosecuted over the last three years.
Those prosecuted so far include former national security czar Zhou Yangkong, senior leaders Bo Xilai and his wife, as well top military officials such as Xu Caihou and Guo Boxiong.
