An outspoken Chinese Communist Party critic and millionaire property tycoon, Ren Zhiqiang , has been placed under investigation for “serious violations of discipline and law”, an anti-graft watchdog said.
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The Beijing Commission for Discipline Inspection announced late on Tuesday that the 69-year-old former chairman of the State-owned real estate developer Beijing Huayuan Group was under investigation.
Rights campaigners accuse President Xi Jinping and the Communist Party of using charges such as “disciplinary violations” — often considered to refer to corruption -- as a way to silence dissent.
Beijing has stepped up its crackdown on civil society since Mr. Xi took power in 2012, tightening restrictions on freedom of speech and detaining activists.
Mr. Ren disappeared from the public eye in March, shortly after penning an essay that was fiercely critical of Mr. Xi’s response to the coronavirus outbreak . The retired entrepreneur has emerged in recent years as one of the Party’s most prominent critics in the business world.