The former mayor of Nanjing, the capital of eastern China’s Jiangsu Province, was indicted for taking bribery, according to the Central Procuratorate on Dec. 17. The ex-mayor is a close ally of former Communist Party head Jiang Zemin, and the indictment of the mayor was accompanied by an official hint that Jiang will also be targeted by the anti-corruption campaign that brought down his ally.
Ji Jianye is charged with using the convenience of his government positions to take huge amounts of property from others and to seek illegitimate interests for others, the Central Procuratorate stated on its website. Ji’s bribery case has been transferred to Yantai City Procuratorate for examination and prosecution.
Ji was detained in October 2013, was expelled from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in January 2014, and was put under a criminal investigation in February.
Ji is a confidant of former Chinese Communist Party head Jiang Zemin. Before he became the mayor of Nanjing, Ji served as a government official at the neighboring Yangzhou City, which is also Jiang’s hometown, for eight years. With Jiang’s help, Ji was promoted through the years. He is thought to have assisted Jiang in Nanjing.
After Ji was dismissed for corruption, Chinese regime mouthpiece Xinhua published a blog article titled “Who Appreciated Ji Jianye After All,” which pointed at Jiang Zemin.
Among the officials sacked by the anti-corruption campaign led by current CCP head Xi Jinping, the majority belong to Jiang’s faction, including the very high level officials such as former Chongqing mayor Bo Xilai, former security czar Zhou Yongkang, and former Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission Xu Caihou.
With Jiang Zemin’s close associates being prosecuted one after another, his turn to be charged may be coming.
Translated and written in English by Lu Chen.
