Relative of Ling Jihua, former aide to a president, questioned over graft, report says
The detention would be the second time Wang Jiankang has been questioned by investigators
The brother-in-law of Ling Jihua, the disgraced former chief of staff of former president Hu Jintao, has reportedly been taken away as part of a corruption investigation for a second time.
Wang Jiankang, 60, one of five deputy mayors of Yuncheng, in Shanxi province, was first taken into custody as part of a graft investigation last summer for more than 50 days after it was announced that his other brother-in-law Ling Zhengce - the elder brother of Ling Jihua - was being investigated. Wang was released in late August.
A report by online portal NetEase said Wang was taken away "recently", but added it was not confirmed whether he was assisting the investigation or was the target. A source told the South China Morning Post that Wang was taken away on the weekend. But, details were unclear.
Calls to Wang's mobile phone were directed to voice mail and calls to his secretary went unanswered. A staff member working at his office declined to comment.
The last time Wang appeared in public was last Thursday in a meeting on expanding the export of local agricultural products, NetEase reported, adding the investigation could be related to the alleged misuse of a 100 million yuan (HK$126 million) provincial fund.
Ling Zhengce has been under investigation since June 19 last year, making his detention the longest for a Communist Party cadre since the anti-corruption campaign was launched on the mainland about three years ago.
