‘Tigers’ on trial: the striking parallels in the prosecutions of an ex-presidential aide, former security tsar and Chongqing party boss

Beijing’s handling of the case of Ling Jihua, former president Hu Jintao’s top aide, bears some striking similarities to that of disgraced security tsar Zhou Yongkang.

Both Ling and Zhou were tried in secret by the Tianjin No 1 Intermediate People’s Court and both avoided the death penalty to be sentenced to life in prison.

Both were also charged with taking huge bribes and abusing power. In addition, Ling was convicted of stealing a large amount of state secrets while Zhou was found guilty a year ago of a more serious offence of intentionally divulging state secrets.

“Basically the verdict in Ling’s case conforms to the unwritten Communist Party rule that members of its inner circle are exempt from death row [once they’re elevated to the Politburo or its innermost Standing Committee],” Professor Zhu Lijia, from the Chinese Academy of Governance, said.

Apart from Ling, an alternate member of the central committee’s secretariat, and Zhou, a former Politburo Standing Committee member, four other disgraced Politburo members have been caught in Beijing’s anti-graft campaign in the last decade.

Former Chongqing party boss Bo Xilai and former Shanghai party chief Chen Liangyu also avoided the death sentence. While former Central Military Commission vice-chairman Guo Boxiong awaits trial, Xu Caihou, another former CMC vice-chairman, died last year before a court hearing.