Ling Jihua attends the plenary session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference at the Great Hall of the People on March 8, 2013 in Beijing, China. (Photo : Getty Images)
China’s state prosecutor on Friday has formally charged a former senior aide to retired President Hu Jintao with accepting bribes, illegally obtaining state secrets and abuse of power.
Beijing announced in Dec. 2014 an investigation into Ling Jihua, who had earlier been demoted in Sept. 2012 to a ministerial-level position months after his son was killed in a crash involving a luxury car.
The charges are the latest development in a case that China's Community Party has claimed to have done "major damage to its image," according to Reuters.
Ling used his many high-ranking government positions as a way to solicit bribes, seek favors for friends and gain unauthorized access to state secrets, the prosecutor said, without specifying the nature of the secrets.
The circumstances were "extremely serious," the prosecutor added in a terse statement that was also broadcast on Chinese state television.
Ling's case was filed at a court in the port city of Tianjin, which is roughly a hundred kilometers from Beijing, and is expected to be tried there.
The prosecutor said authorities had informed Ling about his rights according to the law, questioned him, and heard "opinions" from his lawyer.
It was not clear who the lawyer is or whether he was appointed for Ling by the government.
Ling's case presents a dilemma for the Party due to his close connection with former President Hu, President Xi Jinping's predecessor.
In 2015, a government spokesman denied reports that Hu is being implicated in the investigation and sources have told Reuters that Hu approved of it.
The formal charges pave the way for a criminal trial, but due to accusations that Ling stole state secrets, the proceedings may be closed to the public.
It is also unclear when a trial could be held. If the trial is to be held in secret, state media could simply announce a verdict, according to Reuters.
The government said previously in July that it would prosecute Ling and that he had been expelled from the Communist Party.
Ling's brother, Ling Zhengce, is also being investigated for corruption. Other family members have also been arrested, according to state media reports.
Another brother, Ling Wangcheng, is currently in the United States, and China in January said it was communicating with the United States about him.
In February, Ling Wangcheng denied through his U.S. attorney that he handed over Chinese state secrets to U.S. authorities.
Since assuming power in 2012, Xi has launched a public campaign against corruption, taking down many opponents including the once-powerful domestic security chief Zhou Yongkang, who was also tried in Tianjin.
