The southwestern Chinese megalopolis of Chongqing said Saturday it will purge the “vile influence” of former top official Sun Zhengcai after he was expelled from the Communist Party for corruption.

Sun, once considered a contender for top leadership, was party chief of the city until it was abruptly announced in July that he had been replaced by a rising political star close to President Xi Jinping, Chen Miner. He was put under investigation later in July.

On Friday, the party announced he would be prosecuted for corruption, accusing him of leaking secrets, bribery and abusing his power.

In a front-page story on Saturday, the official Chongqing Daily said a city party meeting overseen by Chen had offered strong support for the Sun decision, which comes just weeks before the party opens a key twice-a-decade congress.

“Everyone said they resolutely uphold the party’s decision, resolutely practice the party’s spirit and will resolutely purge Sun Zhengcai’s vile influence,” the paper said.

“The party’s decision to investigate and handle Sun Zhengcai’s serious breach of discipline is completely correct, absolutely brilliant, came just at the right time and has completely won the hearts of the party, the military and the people.”

It has not been possible to reach Sun directly for comment and unclear if he has been allowed to retain a lawyer.

He is certain to be found guilty when his case comes before a court; the party controls the legal system. The accusations include sloth and trading power for sex.

Chongqing, one of China’s most important cities, is perhaps best known for its association with former party boss Bo Xilai, who was once a contender for top leadership before being jailed for life in 2013 in his own dramatic corruption scandal.

The government has yet to give exact details of what Sun is suspected of.

The official newspaper of the northeastern province of Jilin, where Sun was party chief from 2009 until late 2012, implied on Saturday at least some of his crimes took place there too.

“While in Jilin he neglected Jilin’s development, put his undivided attention on promotion, and seriously damaged Jilin’s political ecology,” the paper said, summarizing a provincial party meeting to condemn him.

Sun had been seen as a potential candidate for elevation at the party congress and as a possible future premier.

But sources with ties to the leadership and foreign diplomats say Sun had been out of favor after the party’s corruption watchdog in February criticized Chongqing authorities for not doing enough to root out Bo’s influence.

Sun is the latest senior official to be investigated under Xi’s sweeping crackdown on corruption.

The party’s official People’s Daily said on Saturday the move against Sun augured further struggles ahead, saying major victories did not mean the anti-corruption fight is over. </s> The former Communist Party boss of one of China's most important cities, the southwestern megalopolis of Chongqing, has been expelled from the party and will be prosecuted for corruption, state news agency Xinhua said on Friday.

BEIJING: China will prosecute the "degenerate" former top official of one of China's most important cities, the southwestern megalopolis of Chongqing, for leaking secrets, bribery and abuse of power, state media said on Friday.

Sun Zhengcai, a senior official once considered a contender for top leadership, had been Communist Party chief of the city until an abrupt announcement in July that he had been replaced by a rising political star close to President Xi Jinping.

He was put under investigation later in July.

Chongqing is perhaps best known outside China for its association with its disgraced former party boss, Bo Xilai, who was once himself a contender for top leadership before being jailed for life in 2013 in a dramatic corruption scandal.

In a brief report, the official Xinhua news agency said a party investigation found that Sun had "abandoned the party's aims" and "seriously trampled upon the party's political discipline".

He leaked party secrets, abused his power to seek advantage for others, took expensive gifts and exchanged power for sex, Xinhua said.

Sun "seriously contravened discipline in life, became corrupt and degenerate", it added. He was also "lazy and inactive".

Sun betrayed the trust put in him by the party and the people, caused huge losses for Chinese companies and had a "very malign impact upon society", Xinhua said.

He has been expelled from the party and his case will be handed over to legal authorities, it added, meaning he will be prosecuted.

Xinhua did not give any further details of the crimes he is suspected of.

It was not possible to reach Sun directly for comment and unclear if he has been allowed to retain a lawyer.

Chinese courts are controlled by the party and will not challenge the accusations levelled against him, meaning he will almost certainly be found guilty when his case comes to trial, which could still be several months away.

Sun had been seen as a potential candidate for elevation at next month's key party Congress and as a possible future premier.

But sources with ties to the leadership and foreign diplomats say Sun had been out of favour after the party's corruption watchdog in February criticised Chongqing authorities for not doing enough to root out Bo's influence.

At that meeting, Sun said he accepted the watchdog's assessment "without question", according to a party statement at the time.

Sun was unceremoniously replaced in Chongqing by Chen Miner, who days after taking up the post demanded officials banish the "evil legacy" of Bo.

Chen is a rising political star close to Xi, and is seen as a potential new member of the party's elite Standing Committee when it is unveiled after a reshuffle at the Congress.

Since assuming power in late 2012, Xi has pursued a relentless campaign against corruption, warning that the problem could threaten the party's ability to retain power, though some analysts say he is also taking down political rivals. </s> Beijing: A senior Chinese official who was considered a contender for top leadership has been put under investigation, three officials with ties to the leadership said, ahead of a Communist Party congress in the autumn where Xi Jinping will cement his grip on power.

Sun Zhengcai had been party chief of the southwestern megalopolis of Chongqing, until an abrupt announcement on Saturday morning that he no longer had the position and had been replaced by a rising political star close to President Xi.

The announcement, carried by state news agency Xinhua, did not say Sun either had a new position or use wording to suggest he was waiting for a further appointment.

An official who has been briefed on the matter said Sun is suspected of “serious discipline violations”, a term that can encompass everything from taking bribes to not toeing the party line. The official added that it was a “conversation investigation”, meaning it’s not yet at the stage of a formal probe.

A second official with ties to the leadership told Reuters that Sun is undergoing investigation for suspected “violation of political discipline”. The official declined to elaborate.

“But he is still a comrade. He is still a Politburo member,” the official said, referring to the party’s 25-member decision-making body.

Officials are stripped of their title “comrade” once a formal legal case is filed against them and they are expelled from the party. Officials are sometimes put under investigation but not formally charged. However once a party announcement about a probe is publicly announced they are almost always punished.

The Communist Party’s anti-corruption watchdog, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, did not respond to a request for comment on Sunday. Calls to the Chongqing government information office also went unanswered.

It was not possible to reach Sun directly for comment, and unclear if he has been allowed to retain a lawyer. It is not clear if any limits have been put on Sun’s movements.

Hong Kong and Taiwan media as well as the Wall Street Journal have also reported Sun is being investigated.

Sun did not appear on Chongqing television’s Saturday evening broadcast when new party boss, Chen Miner, was introduced to city officials by Zhao Leji, head of the powerful organisation department which oversees personnel decisions.

Zhao made the announcement about the probe at the Chongqing meeting, the first official added.

When Beijing’s new party boss Cai Qi was unveiled in May, Zhao not only introduced Cai but Cai’s predecessor Guo Jinlong was also present at the meeting and gave a speech, according to the Beijing city government’s account of the event.

A third official with ties to the leadership emphasised how unusual it was that Sun was not present or mentioned at all in the meeting where Chen was presented as new Chongqing leader.

The official said the Chongqing meeting was told that Sun had committed “political mistakes”.

The three officials, who all spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorised to speak to foreign media, said Sun was currently in Beijing.

Chongqing is perhaps best known for its association with its disgraced former party boss Bo Xilai, once himself a contender for top leadership before being jailed for life in 2013 in a dramatic corruption scandal.

Sun had been seen as a potential candidate for elevation at the autumn congress and as a possible future premier, but his star has waned.

Officials with ties to the leadership and foreign diplomats say Sun has been out of favour after the party’s anti-corruption watchdog in February criticised Chongqing authorities for not doing enough to root out Bo’s influence.

At that meeting, Sun said he accepted the watchdog’s assessment “without question”, according to a party statement at the time.

Chongqing is one of China’s most important cities. Global electronics brands including Hewlett-Packard, Foxconn, Acer and Asus all have operations in Chongqing, lured by tax breaks, cheap labour and land, plus a developed supply chain and logistics. The region makes a third of the world’s laptops.

Diplomatic officials say Sun had been scheduled to go on a trip to Europe recently but it had been cancelled. It is not immediately clear which countries he was due to have visited.

However, another candidate for elevation, Guangdong province party boss Hu Chunhua, visited Britain, Ireland and Israel last month. Such trips are often used by senior officials to raise their international profiles ahead of promotions.

Sun’s last public appearance as mentioned by state media was on 12 July, when he attended a Chongqing party meeting about deepening reforms. Reuters </s> The former Communist Party boss of the Chinese city of Chongqing, Sun Zhengcai, is under investigation for suspected serious violations of discipline, the official Xinhua news agency said on Monday.

BEIJING: The former Communist Party boss of one of China's most important cities, the southwestern megalopolis of Chongqing, is under investigation for "suspected serious violations of discipline", the party's anti-corruption watchdog said on Monday.

Sun Zhengcai, a senior official once considered a contender for top leadership, had been party chief of the city until an abrupt announcement this month that he had been replaced by a rising political star close to President Xi Jinping.

Chongqing is perhaps best known outside the country for its association with its disgraced former party boss Bo Xilai, who was once himself a contender for top leadership before being jailed for life in 2013 in a dramatic corruption scandal.

The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) announced the investigation into Sun in a one-line statement on its website, a move that comes ahead of a key party congress in the autumn where Xi will cement his grip on power.

Sources had earlier told Reuters that Sun was under investigation for discipline violations, a term that can encompass everything from taking bribes to not toeing the party line.

Officials are sometimes put under investigation but not formally charged. However, once a party announcement about a probe is publicly announced, they are almost always punished.

It was not possible to reach Sun directly for comment.

Sun had been seen as a potential candidate for elevation at the autumn congress and as a possible future premier. But sources with ties to the leadership and foreign diplomats say Sun has been out of favour after the CCDI in February criticised Chongqing authorities for not doing enough to root out Bo's influence.

At that meeting, Sun said he accepted the watchdog's assessment "without question", according to a party statement at the time.

Sun was unceremoniously replaced in Chongqing by Chen Miner, who days after taking up the post demanded officials banish the "evil legacy" of Bo.

Chen is a rising political star close to Xi, and is seen as a potential new member of the party's elite Standing Committee when it is unveiled after a reshuffle at the once-every-five-years party congress.

Since assuming power in late 2012, Xi has pursued a relentless campaign against corruption, warning that the problem could threaten the party's ability to retain power, though some analysts say he is also taking down political rivals. </s> BEIJING (BLOOMBERG) - Mr Sun Zhengcai, the former Communist Party chief of the Chinese city of Chongqing, is under investigation by authorities, the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday (July 15), citing people it did not identify.

Mr Sun, 53, was the youngest member of the party's Politburo and was considered a rising star ahead of a key leadership reshuffle later this year.

State media reported earlier on Saturday that he was replaced by a provincial party chief - Mr Chen Min'er - who is an associate of President Xi Jinping.

A party meeting in Chongqing to announce Mr Sun's departure was told he was under investigation, the Journal reported, adding that no details of the probe were given.

Chongqing is a fast-growing mega-city and one of four centrally administered municipalities alongside Beijing, Shanghai and Tianjin.

If confirmed, it would be the first probe of a sitting Politburo member, a key leadership body in the Communist Party, since the downfall in 2012 of another one-time Chongqing chief Bo Xilai, who was later sentenced to life in prison for corruption and abuse of power.

It comes before a party congress where many of the 25 members of the Politburo are expected to be replaced as Mr Xi heads into the second half of his scheduled term in power.

Five of seven members of the supreme Politburo Standing Committee - all except Mr Xi and Premier Li Keqiang - are also scheduled to retire.

Mr Xi has for more than four years embarked on a sweeping crackdown on graft at all levels of the party. He has warned corruption is one of the biggest threats to the party's future. The campaign has also allowed him to amass greater power.

Mr Sun had previously drawn praise from the president. During a visit to Chongqing in January 2016, Mr Xi stood side by side with Mr Sun and admired various projects under his purview, according to the official Xinhua News Agency.

While inspecting port and railway projects to support Mr Xi's initiative for a new Silk Road trading route to Europe, the president said: "This place is very promising."

Still, the party's top anti-graft agency, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, issued a statement in February after an inspection trip to Chongqing saying the municipality fell short of "clearing toxic residue" from Bo's era. And in June, state media said Chongqing's top police officer He Ting had been relieved of his post.

The party's Organisation Department chief Zhao Leji presided over Saturday's appointment meeting and transition ceremony, where Mr Sun was absent, according to the Chongqing Daily.

"Sun's absence from the transition ceremony was highly unusual and is a good indication that he's in trouble," said adjunct political professor Willy Lam at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Mr Sun's removal could help Mr Xi solidify his grip on power ahead of the party reshuffle, Dr Lam said. "It's another way to demonstrate he's in full control of the succession game."

In June 2015, Zhou Yongkang, a retired member of the Politburo's supreme Standing Committee, was sentenced to life in prison, the highest-ranking official convicted for graft in party history.

Zhou, until 2012, oversaw China's vast security apparatus, including police, prosecutors and the courts. He held sway over a network of proteges and former aides, serving on the Standing Committee with Mr Xi before he retired and the latter was elevated to general secretary in 2012.

Mr Sun, together with Guangdong party boss Hu Chunhua, had been regarded as potentially in line to be elevated to the Standing Committee.

Instead, Mr Chen, 56, party chief of the southwestern province of Guizhou, was announced on Saturday as the new chief of Chongqing.

Prior to his Chongqing appointment, Mr Sun was party chief of the northeastern province of Jilin between 2009 and 2012, and was China's Agricultural Minister between 2006 and 2009 in the administration of Premier Wen Jiabao.

Mr Chen has crossed paths with Mr Xi during his career and the two have established links. He advanced to governor of Guizhou - his first provincial-level promotion - in December 2012, shortly after Mr Xi became overall party chief.

In July 2015, Mr Chen was promoted to provincial party chief, only the third regional party boss born in the 1960s.

As propaganda chief previously in Zhejiang, which Mr Xi led from 2002 to 2007, Mr Chen shepherded Mr Xi's regular column in the provincial newspaper. More than 200 of those columns were compiled into a book touted as the origins of Mr Xi's political philosophies.

Chongqing, a sprawling municipality of almost 30 million people, is located more than 1,400km from the coast and served as China's capital during the Japanese invasion. Chongqing has prospered as the country's economic boom rolled inland, reinventing itself as a regional hub for manufacturing, logistics, financial services and foreign investment. </s> Former rising Chinese political star Sun Zhengcai has been expelled from the ruling Communist Party and dismissed from public office amid a corruption investigation.

Sun, the former top official in the mega-city of Chongqing, is the highest-ranking serving official to be ensnared by President Xi Jinping's sweeping anti-corruption campaign, now in its fifth year.

The official Xinhua News Agency said the party's Politburo had approved the latest actions against Sun at a meeting Friday after reviewing a report from the investigation. That comes just three weeks before a major party congress held once every five years.

The moves clear the way for Sun to be prosecuted, with a guilty verdict all but certain. The party has said only that Sun is accused of "serious violations of discipline," shorthand for corruption. </s> The former Communist Party boss of the Chinese city of Chongqing, Sun Zhengcai, is under investigation for suspected serious violations of discipline, the official Xinhua news agency said on Monday.

BEIJING: The former Communist Party boss of the Chinese city of Chongqing, Sun Zhengcai, is under investigation for suspected serious violations of discipline, the official Xinhua news agency said on Monday.

Sun had been party chief of the southwestern megalopolis until an abrupt announcement earlier in July that he no longer had the position and had been replaced by a rising political star close to President Xi Jinping. </s> Sun admitted in April to an intermediate court in the city of Tianjin that he had taken bribes of more than 170 million yuan.

Sun, 54, was abruptly removed in July from his post as party chief of Chongqing, one of China’s most important cities. (Photo: AFP)

Beijing: A Chinese court has sentenced Sun Zhengcai, the former Communist Party boss of the southwestern city of Chongqing, to life in prison for corruption, state media said on Tuesday.

Sun is the latest former senior official taken down in President Xi Jinping’s war on graft. He admitted in April to an intermediate court in the city of Tianjin that he had taken bribes of more than 170 million yuan (USD 27 million).

“After the judgment was announced, Sun Zhengcai told the court he admitted his guilt, expressed repentance, accepted the decision, and said he would not appeal,” the official Xinhua news agency said, citing the Tianjin court.

Reuters has not been able to reach Sun or a representative for comment since he was put under investigation last year.

Sun, 54, was abruptly removed in July from his post as party chief of Chongqing, one of China’s most important cities. He was replaced by Chen Miner, who is close to Xi.

Until then, Sun, one of the youngest of the 25 members of the ruling party’s decision-making Politburo, had been considered a contender for top leadership.

Prosecutors charged Sun in February with accepting “huge sums” in bribes during various posts going back 15 years in Chongqing, Beijing, the northeastern province of Jilin, and during his term as minister of agriculture.

He was certain to be found guilty because China’s courts are controlled by the party and will not challenge its accusations.

Xi has presided over a sweeping corruption crackdown since coming to power in 2012, vowing to target both “tigers” and “flies” in a reference to elite officials and ordinary bureaucrats.

The campaign has led to the jailing or punishment of thousands of officials and also brought down dozens of senior party and military officials.

The anti-corruption effort has not just been focused on issues like bribery and using public money to fund lavish lifestyles. It has also taken aim at those whose political loyalty is found lacking or who express doubt in public about party policies.

China has rebuffed criticism that the campaign is as much about settling political scores as about stamping out genuine criminal acts. </s> A Chinese Court on Tuesday sentenced Sun Zhengcai, former agricultural minister and ex secretary of the Chongqing Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), to life imprisonment for taking more than 170 million yuan ($26 million dollars) in bribes.

The Intermediate People's Court of Tianjin Municipality said Sun will be deprived of his political rights for life, and the state will confiscate all his personal property and illegal profits.
Reverberations from the Sun Zhengcai case are said to have ensnared a number of senior officials from Chongqing, including former Organization Department head Zeng Qinghong (female). 14 out of 43 delegates to the 19th Party Congress from Chongqing are said to have lost their eligibility.