Former Chinese security chief sentenced for life over corruption

China’s former domestic security chief, Zhou
Yongkang, was sentenced to life in jail on Thursday
after being found guilty during a closed-door trial of
bribery, leaking state secrets and abuse of power,
state news agency Xinhua said.

Zhou, who was formally charged in April, was tried
in the northern city of Tianjin on May 22, and
admitted his guilt and decided not to appeal against
the verdict, Xinhua added, in a verdict also read out
on state television.

Zhou, 72, is the most senior Chinese official to be
ensnared in a graft scandal since the party swept to
power in 1949. The decision to try Zhou underscores
President Xi Jinping’s pledge to fight corruption at the
highest levels.
“I accept the prosecution’s accusations, and the basic
facts are clear; I admit my guilt and am penitent,”
Xinhua paraphrased Zhou as telling the court.
One source with the direct knowledge of the situation
told Reuters that Zhou, who used to be in charge of
the police force, was being guarded by soldiers rather
than police officers.
“He was cooperative during interrogations,” the
source said, speaking on condition of anonymity. “His
attitude was good.”
Zhou’s alleged crimes took place over decades,
including when he was deputy general manager of
China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), party
boss in southwestern Sichuan province, minister of
public security and a member of the Politburo
Standing Committee, according to the initial
indictment.

He has not been seen in public since October 2013.
Zhou was a member of the Politburo Standing
Committee - China’s apex of power - and held the
post of security tsar until he retired in 2012.
Sources with ties to the Chinese leadership have
previously told Reuters that Xi has been determined
to bring down Zhou for allegedly plotting
appointments to retain influence ahead of the 18th
Party Congress in November 2012, when Xi took over
the party.
Zhou joined the Politburo Standing Committee in
2007 while also heading the central Political and
Legal Affairs Committee, a sprawling body that
oversees law and order policy. The security apparatus
he ran expanded during his watch and consumed a
budget that exceeded the official figure for military
spending. He quickly earned the enmity of Chinese
dissidents.