China expels senior Communist Party leader in anti-corruption crackdown

Beijing, Jul 14 (PTI) The ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) on Tuesday expelled its former chief of Xinjiang province, Ma Xingrui, from the party and dismissed him from public service for corruption and violating party discipline. Ma, who was also a member of the influential Politburo -- the country's top decision-making body -- was found to have "lost his ideals and beliefs", abandoned his "political conviction", betrayed the party's principles and "seriously violated political discipline and rules", state-run Xinhua news agency said. The 67-year-old is the third member of the 24-member Politburo to come under investigation during the current party term that began in 2022, a rare occurrence in the recent history of the 105-year-old party. President Xi Jinping has overseen a sweeping anti-corruption drive since taking power in 2012, with hundreds of party and military officials punished for corruption and disciplinary violations. The investigation found that Ma had violated political, organisational and integrity discipline, helped family members purchase homes at below-market prices, engaged in power-for-sex and money-for-sex transactions, and allowed family members to exploit the influence of his position to seek huge benefits, Xinhua said, quoting an official statement. Ma was also found to have sought benefits for others in business operations, project contracting and job promotion. He illegally accepted huge amounts of money and valuables personally or in collusion with relatives or other close associates, it said. The CPC ordered his expulsion from the party, removed him from public office, confiscated his illegal gains and revoked his status as a delegate to the 20th CPC National Congress. His case has been transferred to prosecutors for examination and prosecution in accordance with the law, the report said. In July last year, Ma stepped down as Communist Party secretary of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Ma, who was also the deputy head of CPC's Leading Group for Rural Affairs, had been absent from several key party events since November, fuelling speculation about his whereabouts. China announced an investigation against Ma in April, and he was subsequently placed under disciplinary and supervisory investigation. The Politburo then reviewed and approved a report by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection on Ma's corruption cases, which led to his expulsion from the party. An aerospace expert by training, Ma spent several years at the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, serving as its general manager from 2007 to 2013. During that period, he was also deputy commander-in-chief of China's manned space programme and commander-in-chief of the country's new-generation carrier rocket project, according to previous reports by the South China Morning Post. Several of Ma's former subordinates in the aerospace sector have also been investigated as part of China's anti-corruption campaign in recent years. Since 2022, at least 24 members of the party's Central Committee have either been expelled or placed under investigation, while last year alone saw action against 65 senior officials across the party, government, military and state-owned enterprises. PTI KJV FHK GSP