China indicts former president's top aide
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}FILE - In this March 14, 2012, file photo, Ling Jihua, a loyal aide and confidante to President Hu Jintao, is seen as Chinese President Hu Jintao signs a document after attending the closing ceremony of the National People's Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Chinese prosecutors have indicted the former top aide to ex-President Hu Jintao on charges of taking bribes, illegally obtaining state secrets and abuse of power, state media reported Friday, May 13, 2016 in the latest high-profile blow in President Xi Jinping's sweeping crackdown on corruption. (AP Photo/Andy Wong, File) (The Associated Press)
Chinese prosecutors have indicted the former top aide to ex-President Hu Jintao on charges of taking bribes, illegally obtaining state secrets and abuse of power.
State broadcaster CCTV said Friday that prosecutors in the northern port city of Tianjin have filed the charges against Ling Jihua. Ling once served as head of the Communist Party's General Office, a position comparable to the U.S. president's chief of staff.
Ling was placed under investigation in late 2014 and was formally arrested in July 2015.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Ling's fall came soon after the launch of a sweeping anti-corruption campaign by Hu's successor, current President Xi Jinping.
A consummate political insider, Ling became well known in China in 2012 when his son reportedly died at the wheel of a crashed Ferrari with two women as passengers.