BEIJING
A Chinese official who served as a top aide to former President Hu Jintao has been expelled from the Communist Party and will face prosecution on corruption charges, state media reported late Monday.
Ling Jihua, former vice chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference National Committee, is under investigation for bribery and the Supreme People's Procuratorate has decided on his arrest, according to Xinhua.
Ling, 58, was placed under investigation in December, and is accused of violating "political rules" and organizational discipline, and failing to protect state and party secrets.
Xinhua said Ling is accused of accepting large bribes and seeking profit for his close allies -- including his wife -- as well as illegally obtaining "core secrets" of the party and state.
The Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post cited Xinhua as saying that "Ling’s behavior is a complete deviation from the party’s tenets. He has severely violated party rules, and brought huge damage to the party’s image."
He also allegedly exchanged his power for sex and had affairs with several women.
According to the Post, Ling had had a successful political career until being demoted after his son Ling Gu was killed in a high-profile Ferrari accident that left two young women passengers seriously injured in Beijing in 2012.
Before the incident, Ling had served as the chief of the party Central Committee’s General Office and as Hu’s personal secretary.
In January, media reported that Ling, who hails from the coal-rich northern province of Shanxi, led the so-called Shanxi Gang, according to the Post.
In 2013, President Xi Jinping launched an anti-corruption campaign that has investigated tens of thousands of suspects, including dozens of high-profile individuals at the top of the Communist Party.
