The brother of former President Hu Jintao is charged with graft. (Photo : Getty Images)
The brother of former President Hu Jintao's aide was slapped with graft charges on Wednesday, in line with the pursuit of the Communist Party of corrupt members.
The accused is Ling Zhengce, former deputy head of the parliamentary advisory body of Shanxi. He is the elder brother of Ling Jihua.
Ling Jihua was jailed in July for creating damage to the image of the Party.
Ling Zhengce was accused of collecting bribes and special favors from companies, according to the statement released by the Supreme Court.
He will be tried in the court of Changzhou located in the eastern part of the Shanxi Province, which is rich with coal-producing factories.
The coal-rich province is described to be full of corrupt practices. Vice Premier Ma Kai last year described it as "like cancer."
The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection has been investigating the cases of the two brothers and was reported to be in communication with U.S. officials for charging the third brother.
The commission expelled Ling Zhengce for corrupt practices in the Communist Party last year.
In a statement, the commission said, "In addition to this, Ling Zhengce's behavior interfered with and hindered the organizational investigation."
President Xi Jinping, from the beginning of his administration, has been aggressive in charging corrupt officials of the Party, stating that the campaign is important in the country's leadership to maintain political power.
Two allies of disgraced retired domestic security chief Zhou Yongkang were also charged with corruption. Zhou, 72, is the most senior official who was sentenced to life imprisonment.
China's Supreme Court also said that along with Ling, charges of bribery will be filed to Chen Chuanping and Sun Hongzhi, two top officials in Shanxi involved in commerce and industry.
