China corruption watchdog’s big catch Zhao Zhengyong linked to string of scandals
- Arrest was foreshadowed by state television documentary on corruption in Shaanxi province days before
- Former party chief was ally of Wei Minzhou, currently serving life sentence
Anti-corruption enforcers in China have caught their highest ranking “tiger” – as crooked senior officials are known – so far this year, with the arrest of a former Communist Party chief in the scandal-ridden northwest province of Shaanxi.
Zhao Zhengyong – who served as governor and then provincial party head of the resource-rich province until March 2016 – is accused of serious violations in law and discipline, a euphemism for corruption.
His arrest was announced in a one-sentence statement by enforcement agency the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) on Monday.
No details were provided of the investigation into Zhao but observers said it was clear his arrest was related to the string of corruption scandals which has so far claimed eight senior Shaanxi officials since President Xi Jinping – who was born in the province – launched his anti-corruption campaign in 2012.
Zhao’s arrest was foreshadowed on Wednesday night last week, when China’s state broadcaster aired a documentary on corruption in Shaanxi, with many current and former officials repenting and reflecting on their ignorance of failing to act on six sets of instructions from Xi – the first in 2014 to act on hundreds of illegal luxury villas built in the province’s Qingling National Reserve.
