Last August, media reports began to focus on a corruption investigation into former security chief Zhou Yongkang and some of his associates. The South China Morning Post—the paper that initially broke news of a probe into the retired senior official—reports that top-level briefings may suggest the investigation into Zhou has reached its end:
Central authorities have begun briefing officials on findings of the corruption case centred on former security tsar Zhou Yongkang, signalling the final stage of one of the country’s most significant graft investigations in decades.
[…] The briefings were seen as a sign the case against Zhou, who was until late 2012 one of the nine most powerful officials in the Communist Party, could be announced soon, perhaps after the Lunar New Year holiday. Such briefings for top-level officials are customary at the culmination of highly sensitive cases.
[…] The nature of the potential allegations against Zhou is unclear, and has been the subject of much speculation.
Media reports have alleged his involvement in everything from attempts to thwart Xi’s rise to party chief to a conspiracy to murder his own wife.
But the person familiar with the briefings said the investigation would deal exclusively with financial issues and corruption. It is also believed that the amount of money involved in the case would be far less than some reports have suggested. [Source]
For more on the probe into Zhou Yongkang, see prior CDT coverage.
