The fate of disgraced former presidential aide Ling Jihua may still be up in the air due to a major bagaining chip held by his brother Ling Wancheng, who remains in hiding in the United States and is rumored to be seeking political asylum, reports Duowei News, a US-based Chinese political news outlet.
The 58-year-old Ling Jihua, best known as the political "fixer" of former president Hu Jintao, was placed under investigation for "suspected serious disciplinary violation" last December and expelled from the Communist Party on July 20 after being found to have violated political rules, abusing his power, accepting huge bribes and obtaining a significant amount of party and state "core secrets." In addition, he was found to have committed adultery with a number of women and traded his power for sex.
While Ling Jihua has yet to be convicted by a court of law, an official announcement of this kind from anti-graft authorities in China typically signifies that his fate has already been sealed. Duowei believes, however, that there could still be developments in the case because his youngest brother Ling Wancheng is said to be in possession of so-called "core secrets" he surreptitiously accumulated over the 15 years he spent in the Communist Party's General Office.
Read the full story at Want China Times
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