Zhou Yongkang yet to be prosecuted in corruption probe, senior court official reveals
Authorities have yet to start legal proceedings against Zhou Yongkang because the party wants to ensure a cast-iron case against the former security chief, according to an analyst.
Authorities have yet to start legal proceedings against Zhou Yongkang because the party wants to ensure a cast-iron case against the former security chief, according to an analyst.
Jiang Bixin, the deputy head of the Supreme People's Court, China's highest court, said yesterday the country had yet to start legal proceedings against the highest-profile figure to be caught in a government crackdown on corruption.
He was responding to a journalist's question about Zhou's fate at a news conference in Beijing that was carried live on the website of the state-run China News Service.
"The party is taking extra care to make sure all legal arguments are well prepared to avoid some of the embarrassment that happened during the Bo Xilai trial, in which Bo was allowed to counter and dismiss allegations against him," said veteran China watcher Johnny Lau Yui-siu.
He added that internal party divisions might also have contributed to the delay.
One of the most influential Chinese politicians of the last decade, Zhou is being investigated for corruption in China's biggest graft scandal since the Communist Party took power in 1949. He was last seen in public more than a year ago.
There had been speculation authorities would provide a public update about the case against Zhou last month at a meeting of the Communist Party's Central Committee, which discussed legal reform.
But officials did not raise Zhou's case.
"If the prosecuting organs lodge their suit, the people's court will handle it in accordance with the legally set process," Jiang said.
"On this point there should be no doubt."
Zhou's case is a landmark in China's fight against corruption, as it shows that President Xi Jinping is serious about stamping out graft and willing to go after members of the elite such as Zhou, who had served on the party's Politburo Standing Committee, which is at the apex of state power.
