Ling Jihua 'to face same fate as Bo Xilai'
Downfall of four 'big tigers' likely to intensify a power struggle in Communist Party, analysts say
Ling Jihua, the one-time top aide of former president Hu Jintao, is likely to face the same fate as disgraced Chongqing party chief Bo Xilai, mainland analysts say.
Ling, 58, is the latest "big tiger" to be targeted by President Xi Jinping's anti-corruption campaign, though it is unclear if more senior figures are to be pursued.
Following the downfall of Bo, investigations were launched into the former security tsar Zhou Yongkang , and the former vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission, Xu Caihou.
In a brief statement on Monday, the party's anti-graft agency said only that Ling was being investigated for "suspected serious disciplinary violations".
Zhang Ming, a political scientist at Renmin University, said it was unlikely that Ling would face only a party disciplinary hearing.
Rather, he could expect a trial similar to Bo, who was expelled from the party in 2012 and sentenced to life in prison last year for bribery, corruption and abuse of power.
"Judging from previous examples such as Bo, it's highly unlikely that Ling, Xu and Zhou will receive only punishment within the party. Otherwise all the fanfare would have been unnecessary," he said.
