- Title: CHINA/FILE: China to try top military officer in strike against corruption
- Date: 30th June 2014
- Summary: BEIJING, CHINA (FILE - MARCH 2012) (REUTERS) CHINESE NATIONAL PEOPLE'S CONGRESS BEGINNING CHINESE NATIONAL EMBLEM CHINESE FORMER GENERAL XU CAIHOU AND FORMER SENIOR POLITICIAN BO XILAI WALKING IN AND TAKING SEATS XU AND BO SPEAKING XU AND BO SEATED OFFICIALS WALKING OUT OF MEETING ROOM XU AND BO SHAKING HANDS WITH OFFICIALS
- Embargoed: 15th July 2014 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: China
- Country: China
- Topics: Crime / Law Enforcement,Domestic Politics
- Reuters ID: LVABUFY19URBFBZK1FBRYRK2U655
- Story Text: China will court-marshal one of its most senior former military officers on charges of corruption, state media said on Monday (June 30), the highest-ranking official to date felled in President Xi Jinping's battle against deep-rooted and pervasive graft.
Xu Caihou retired as vice chairman of the powerful Central Military Commission last year and from the party's decision-making Politburo in 2012.
"Upon investigation, Xu Caihou took advantage of his office, helped others be promoted to positions and accepted bribes directly or through his family, used his position to influence others for profit and his family members accepted valuables from others. He seriously violated the party's discipline and he may have infringed the laws by taking bribes. His case is serious and leaves a vile impact," state television CCTV said.
Xi heads the Central Military Commission, which controls the 2.3 million strong armed forces, the world's largest, and has repeatedly reminded them to be loyal to the ruling Communist Party.
Xi has made weeding out corruption in the military one of the top goals in his administration. It comes as Xi steps up efforts to modernise forces that are projecting power across the disputed waters of the East and South China Seas, even though it has not fought a war in decades.
File footage from March 2012 shows Xu sitting and chatting with the once high-flying politician Bo Xilai, who was jailed for life last September for corruption and abuse of power -- the worst political scandal since the 1976 downfall of the Gang of Four.
Reuters has not been able to reach Xu for comment. It is not clear whether he has a lawyer.
In a series of separate and equally brief stories, the official Xinhua news agency also announced the expulsion of Jiang Jiemin, the former head of the state asset regulator; Li Dongsheng, former vice minister of public security; and Wang Yongchun, former deputy head of state energy giant China National Petroleum Company (CNPC), all for graft.
Jiang, former head of CNPC, has been expelled from the party for "serious disciplinary violations" -- Beijing's shorthand for graft.
"After an investigation, it is found that Jiang Jiemin took advantage of his post to seek benefits for others, extorted and receive a huge amount of bribery. The above conduct by Jiang Jiemin has seriously violated party discipline and he may have infringed the laws by taking bribes," CCTV said.
President Xi has launched a sweeping campaign against graft since becoming party chief in late 2012 and president last year, vowing to take down powerful "tigers" as well as lowly "flies".
Xu is the most senior person to have been felled to date. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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