A screen grab taken from state TV footage shows former Chinese security chief Zhou Yongkang on trial at the Intermediate People's Court in Tianjin. (Photo : AFP/Sydney Morning Herald)
China’s former security chief Zhou Yongkang was sentenced to life imprisonment for accepting bribes, abusing his power and deliberately disclosing state secrets, Tianjin Municipal No. 1 Intermediate People's Court ruled on Thursday.
The 73-year-old Zhou will also be deprived of his political rights and his personal assets confiscated by the state.
The court heard Zhou's case on May 22, but the trial was not made open to the public because the case involved disclosure of state secrets, the Xinhua News Agency said in its report.
"I've realized the harm I've caused to the Party and the people. I plead guilty and I regret my crimes," Zhou said during his final statements in a clip shown on state TV.
Described as being one of China's most powerful men, Zhou was once the head of the Ministry of Public Security and member of the Politburo Standing Committee, China's top decision-making body.
Before that, he served as deputy general manager of China National Petroleum Corp. and secretary of the Sichuan Provincial Committee.
According to the ruling, Zhou was convicted of accepting bribes of about 130 million yuan ($21.3 million).
In a statement from the court, Zhou used his position to profit from five people, identified as Wu Bing, Ding Xuefeng, Wen Qingshan, Zhou Hao and Jiang Jiemin, including personally accepting money and property worth 731,100 yuan.
Money and property worth 129 million yuan were also accepted by his wife Jia Xiaoye and son Zhou Bin, the court said. Zhou was informed about these bribes after the fact.
Zhou was also convicted of leaking five "extremely confidential" documents and one "confidential" document, in direct violation of the State Secret Law.
Zhou's wife and daughter testified through video link, while Wu and Jiang appeared in court. Other witness statements were presented along with the evidence.
The court statement said that Zhou had taken "particularly huge bribes," but had confessed, pleaded guilty and repented for his crimes.
"I broke the law and Party rules incessantly, and the objective facts of my crimes have resulted in grave losses of the Party and the nation," said Zhou.
The court noted that Zhou's abuse of power and disclosure of state secrets were "grave circumstances," although the latter "did not have very serious consequences."
Zhou is the first senior Chinese official to be convicted of corruption since China's Communist Party came to power in 1949.
President Xi Jinping vowed to end endemic corruption in the country since coming to power in 2012, promising to crack down on both "tigers and flies"--meaning, officials at all levels--in his campaign against corruption.
