31 July 2015
The official Xinhua News Agency said on Friday that Guo Boxiong, a former vice chairman of the powerful Central Military Commission was expelled from the ruling Communist Party over corruption allegations. He will be prosecuted later, under the armed forces’ judicial system,
He is said to have taken bribes to grant promotions and other benefits for others. He accepted bribes personally and through family members. Prosecutors are narrowing down the charges to selling of ranks and positions, and the embezzlement of military funds.
Those who seek ranks are prepared to pay bribes because they in turn will be able make money from their positions.
Guo’s former fellow military commission vice chairman, Xu Caihou, was indicted on charges of taking bribes and brokering promotions. But he died of cancer before he was prosecuted.
Guo’s prosecution was expected since March, when his son, Maj. Gen. Guo Zhenggang, was placed under formal investigation for corruption and unspecified criminal activity.
Xi’s predecessors, Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao, did not have strict control over the the military staff because they lacked knowledge of military affairs due to their civilian backgrounds. Military corruption is believed to have thrived under their stewardship.
Some generals are reported to have accumulated enormous wealth in both cash and gifts including golden statues of Mao Zedong and cases of expensive liquor stacked to the ceiling in their secret underground cellars.
Guo’s younger brother, Guo Boquan, came under the spotlight in May after graft-busters in Shaanxi province uncovered misuse of disaster relief funds at the civil affairs bureau headed by him. The bureau, misappropriated more than 89 million yuan ($14million) in funds allocated for a disaster recovery centre. Provincial anti-corruption officials said that some of the money was used to build cheap flats to sell to staff and public servants in other departments.
