Chinese President Xi Jinping flags concern over corruption with top General under scanner

BEIJING: Chinese President Xi Jinping has called on his country's military and the ruling Communist Party to "pay great attention to and seriously reflect" on law violations by China's highest ranking General, who is being investigated for taking huge bribes.

There should be serious reflection on the discipline and law violations by former Central Military Commission (CMC) Vice Chairman Xu Caihou, said Xi, who is general secretary of Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and CMC chairman.

The Chinese President said people should "pay great attention" to and "seriously treat" the case of Xu, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

"Lessons learned from Xu's case deserve a profound reflection and the unfavourable influence of the case must be thoroughly cleared away," Xi said yesterday at a military political work conference held in a former revolutionary base in the township of Gutian, Shanghang County of southeastern Fujian Province.

Xu had confessed to taking bribes, Military prosecutors announced last Tuesday.

Xu, who held the most influential military post, was also expelled from the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) and discharged from military service with his rank as general revoked.

Xu is the highest ranking PLA official to have been court marshalled since China came under the rule of Communist Party in 1949.

He took over as Vice Chairman of the CPC headed by former President Hu Jintao and retired along with Hu in 2013 holding the post for the longest time.

He was accused of introducing "cash for ranks" policy in promoting officers and found to have taken the advantage of his position to assist the promotion of other people, accepting huge amount of bribe personally and through his family.

The retired General along with former top security official Zhou Yongkong and various other officials were being investigated for heavy corruption and abuse of power in the anti-graft campaign launched by Xi since he took over power last year after a once-in-a-decade leadership change.

Outstanding problems in the ideological and political development in military construction should be faced squarely, Xi said.

Prosecutors said investigation into the Xu's case has concluded and the filing of the case has begun, Xinhua reported today.

The retired General who is reportedly suffering from cancer has been detained along with some of this family members.