bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

sponsorType

authorLocations

authors

paywallTypes

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

factSheets

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

copyrighted

customTimezone

liveContents

Mandy Zuo

A relative of Ling Jihua, the former presidential aide under investigation for corruption, is also to face questioning for alleged graft, according to a mainland media report.
Gu Yuanxu, 51, was detained in Beijing after the authorities announced last week that Ling had been detained for alleged corruption, the financial news service Caixin reported, citing an unnamed source.
Gu is a senior police official in Heilongjiang province in northeast China and also the brother of Ling’s wife.
Gu’s name has been removed from a list of senior officials in the public security department on the Heilongjiang government website.
State media announced last Monday that Ling, who used to be a top aide of former president Hu Jintao, was under investigation.
Several of Ling’s relatives and associates have been held for alleged corruption in recent months, including his brother Ling Wancheng.
Caixin said it had been unable to reach Gu or his sister Gu Liping by phone since last week.
The last time Gu Yuanxu was listed as appearing in public was on December 5 when he attended a meeting in Shenyang about police co-operation in northeastern provinces.
A dozen news items about his activities have been deleted from the Heilongjiang government website.
A former colleague was quoted by Caixin as saying that Gu graduated from Beijing Normal University and had once worked for the Haidian district government in the capital.
He later worked at China Central Television, the report said.
Gu became vice head of Ningxia Television in about 2003 before entering the Ministry of Public Security’s anti-terrorism bureau.
He was made deputy police chief in Heilongjiang in 2010.
Ling Jihua, a vice chairman of the national political advisory body the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, is the latest “tiger” detained under President Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption campaign.
Xi has pledged to target “tigers” and “flies” in the Communist Party, meaning all officials, however senior, face investigation over any alleged wrongdoing.
Those detained include the former national security chief Zhou Yongkang and the ex-vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, Xu Caihou.
The authorities announced in June that another of Ling’s brothers, Ling Zhengce, had been detained in a graft investigation. He was a deputy chairman of Shanxi’s political advisory body.
Ling Jihua was once tipped to take a top position in the Politburo, but he was demoted amid reports that he had tried to cover up the details of his son’s fatal car crash in 2012.
His son, Ling Gu, died after the Ferrari he was driving crashed in Beijing. Two women in the car were seriously injured.
 
 
 


Another relative of senior Chinese official Ling Jihua held in corruption probe

Gu Yuanxu. Photo: SCMP Pictures

Gu, centre, pictured with two police officials in Tibet. Photo: SCMP Pictures

Gu, far right, addressing police officers. Photo: SCMP Pictures

News

China

Brother of Ling Jihua’s wife latest person linked to the former top-ranking government official detained for alleged graft, according to the financial news service Caixin


Update | Another relative of senior Chinese official Ling Jihua held in corruption probe

Brother of Ling Jihua’s wife latest person linked to the former top-ranking government official detained for alleged graft, according to the financial news service Caixin