A former member of the Politburo of the Communist Party of China (CPC), Ma Xingrui, has been charged with bribery. According to the prosecution, the alleged incidents date back to the late 1990s. The case has been referred to the intermediate court of the city of Yichang.
WHAT IS KNOWN
As reported by South China Morning Post (SCMP) citing Chinese state media, the prosecutor's office has sent Ma Xingrui's case to the Yichang Intermediate People's Court.
67-year-old Ma Xingrui previously served on the CPC Politburo and held the post of party secretary of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.
The bribery charges cover alleged violations dating from the end of the last century.
THE FOURTH POLITBURO FIGURE
Ma Xingrui's case has become another instance of criminal prosecution of a representative of China's top party leadership.
According to SCMP, he has become the fourth Politburo member to be charged with corruption since Chinese President Xi Jinping came to power in 2012.
The publication also notes that Ma Xingrui is among the most senior Chinese officials to have come under investigation as part of a large-scale anti-corruption campaign.
CONTEXT
Earlier it became known that the CPC has expanded its anti-corruption agenda to include officials who turn a blind eye to violations and avoid conflicts in order to preserve their own careers. The document provides for more than 200 measures to strengthen party discipline, control the use of power and combat corruption.
