Zhou Yongkang linked to mysterious ‘Xinjiang sage’ close to China's political elite
The powerful, such as Zhou Yongkang, courted Cao Yongzheng over claims he could see the future
Disgraced security tsar Zhou Yongkang once had a legion of trusted aides taking care of his graft schemes. But none was a match for the mysterious "Xinjiang sage" when it came to Zhou confiding about state secrets.
When the court in Tianjin read out the verdict on Zhou on Thursday, it was revealed he had handed six classified documents - five of which were top secret - to 56-year-old Cao Yongzheng.
Cao - dubbed the Xinjiang sage after the region where he grew up - has previously been identified by mainland media as a soothsayer, mystic and expert in , a spiritual martial art similar to tai chi.
He is reported to have provided testimony against Zhou in a closed-door trial on May 22, Xinhua said, although it was unclear whether he had done so in person or by deposition, or if he was also in custody.
Cao has been described as a billionaire with an "extraordinary" ability to predict the future, who was courted by many of China's powerful senior officials.
A report in 2013 said Zhou introduced Cao to other people as his "most trusted person". A Caixin report last year revealed Cao's close ties with senior officials in Sichuan province, including its former party secretary Li Chuncheng and former deputy governor Guo Yongxiang , as well as a range of senior corporate officials at Sinopec. Both Li and Guo have been accused of taking bribes and abusing power.
