This article is from the source 'nytimes' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/20/world/asia/china-bribery-trial-li-chuncheng-jiang-jiemin.html

The article has changed 2 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
2 Associates of Ex-Security Chief to Face Trial Over Bribery in China 2 Associates of Ex-Security Chief to Face Trial Over Bribery in China
(about 11 hours later)
HONG KONG — The Chinese Communist Party’s push to extinguish the political network of a man who was once one of its most powerful officials entered a new phase on Thursday when the government announced that two of his associates would soon face trial on charges of bribery. HONG KONG — The Chinese Communist Party’s push to extinguish the political network of a man who was once one of its most powerful officials entered a new phase on Thursday when the government announced that two of his associates would soon face trial on charges of bribery.
The two, Li Chuncheng, a former deputy party secretary of the southwestern province of Sichuan, and Jiang Jiemin, a former chairman of the China National Petroleum Corporation, will face trial in Hubei Province, the office of the country’s chief prosecutor said.The two, Li Chuncheng, a former deputy party secretary of the southwestern province of Sichuan, and Jiang Jiemin, a former chairman of the China National Petroleum Corporation, will face trial in Hubei Province, the office of the country’s chief prosecutor said.
They had worked under Zhou Yongkang, the former head of the country’s internal security forces, who was expelled from the Communist Party last year in the highest-level corruption case since the founding of the People’s Republic in 1949. Mr. Zhou faces a barrage of charges, from accepting bribes to leaking state secrets.They had worked under Zhou Yongkang, the former head of the country’s internal security forces, who was expelled from the Communist Party last year in the highest-level corruption case since the founding of the People’s Republic in 1949. Mr. Zhou faces a barrage of charges, from accepting bribes to leaking state secrets.
The announcement came a day after the country’s highest judicial body, the Supreme People’s Court of China, suggested that the offenses of Mr. Zhou, 72, might have gone beyond corruption and extended to political plotting. The announcement came a day after the Supreme People’s Court of China suggested that the offenses of Mr. Zhou, 72, might have gone beyond corruption and extended to political plotting.
The court made that suggestion in a report on its work in 2014 that was published on Wednesday. It said that Mr. Zhou had, like Bo Xilai — the disgraced Politburo member who was convicted and sentenced to life in prison in September 2013 — “trampled on rule by law, wrecked party unity and engaged in nonorganizational political activities.” The court made that suggestion in a report on its work in 2014 that was published Wednesday. It said that Mr. Zhou had, like Bo Xilai, the disgraced Politburo member who was convicted and sentenced to life in prison in September 2013, “trampled on rule by law, wrecked party unity and engaged in nonorganizational political activities.”
The document did not say whether Mr. Bo and Mr. Zhou engaged in those activities together, but by mentioning the two in the same sentence, it added fuel to speculation that the two men, as well as other top leaders such as Xu Caihou, a former general whose death was reported on Sunday, had formed a faction. The document did not say whether Mr. Bo and Mr. Zhou engaged in those activities together, but by mentioning the two in the same sentence, it added fuel to speculation that the two men, as well as other top leaders such as Xu Caihou, a former general whose death was reported Sunday, had formed a faction.
This month, Zhou Ruijin, a onetime deputy editor in chief of the Communist Party’s flagship newspaper, People’s Daily, said in a commentary that the cases of Mr. Zhou, Mr. Bo, General Xu and another former top official, Ling Jihua, were “deeply entwined.” This month, Zhou Ruijin, a former deputy editor in chief of the Communist Party’s flagship newspaper, People’s Daily, said in a commentary that the cases of Mr. Zhou, Mr. Bo, General Xu and another former top official, Ling Jihua, were “deeply entwined.”
According to the Beijing Youth Daily, Zhuang Deshui from Peking University, an expert on corruption, said the words of the Supreme People’s Court implied that Mr. Zhou and similar officials had “done something like the Gang of Four, creating small collectivities of interests, attempting to win power and influencing the political attitudes of the public.” According to the Beijing Youth Daily, Zhuang Deshui from Peking University, an expert on corruption, said the words of the Supreme People’s Court implied that Mr. Zhou and other officials had “done something like the Gang of Four, creating small collectivities of interests, attempting to win power and influencing the political attitudes of the public.”
That historical analogy is powerful for anyone in China. The Gang of Four, a group that included Mao’s widow, Jiang Qing, was tried in 1981 over its role in grabbing political power during the latter stages of the 1966-76 Cultural Revolution. Ms. Jiang later committed suicide in prison. That historical analogy is powerful for anyone in China. The Gang of Four, a group that included Mao’s widow, Jiang Qing, was tried in 1981 over its role in grabbing political power during the latter stages of the 1966-76 Cultural Revolution.
Mr. Bo fell from power on March 15, 2012, when he was removed from his post. Mr. Zhou’s disgrace came this past December, as party investigators moved first to remove his associates from positions of influence. Ms. Jiang later committed suicide in prison.
The first to fall, only weeks after Xi Jinping took control of the Communist Party in late 2012, was Li Chuncheng, who served under Mr. Zhou when the latter was Sichuan’s top official, between 1999 and 2002. Mr. Jiang fell from power on Sept. 1, 2013. Mr. Zhou had also served as head of China National Petroleum, the state-owned oil company, in the 1990s. Mr. Bo fell from power on March 15, 2012, when he was removed from his post. Mr. Zhou’s disgrace came last December, as party investigators moved first to remove his associates from positions of influence.
The first to fall, only weeks after Xi Jinping took control of the Communist Party in late 2012, was Li Chuncheng, who served under Mr. Zhou when the latter was Sichuan’s top official, between 1999 and 2002. Mr. Jiang fell from power on Sept. 1, 2013.