BEIJING • The Chinese Communist Party’s anti-graft watchdog has launched a probe into a Politburo member who was once seen as a contender for a top leadership post, state media confirmed yesterday..
BEIJING • The Chinese Communist Party’s anti-graft watchdog has launched a probe into a Politburo member who was once seen as a contender for a top leadership post, state media confirmed yesterday.
The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection is investigating Mr Sun Zhengcai, who until a week ago was party chief in the major city of Chongqing, for „serious discipline violation“, Xinhua news agency said, an euphemism for graft.
Mr Sun, 53, is the first serving member of the 25-person Politburo to be placed under investigation since Bo Xilai, who was jailed for life in 2013 in the wake of President Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption drive.
Xinhua’s brief report did not say whether Mr Sun would remain a Politburo member. His replacement as party chief in Chongqing was announced on July 15.
The shake-up in Chongqing comes as the Communist Party prepares for a congress later this year that is expected to cement Mr Xi’s position as the most powerful Chinese leader in a generation. Mr Sun, who was replaced in the city by Mr Xi’s former aide Chen Min’er, had once been tipped as a contender for promotion to the Politburo’s elite seven-member standing committee, the nation’s top political body.
