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.
