Former Communist Party chief of Hangzhou to face trial on bribery charges

Zhou Jiangyong, 54, is accused of taking advantage of his positions by accepting huge bribes for almost two decades

He was expelled from the party in January, accused of supporting ‘disorderly expansion’ of private companies

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Zhou Jiangyong was the party secretary of Hangzhou, China’s e-commerce hub. Photo: Weibo

Published: 8:23pm, 11 Apr 2022Updated: 8:24pm, 11 Apr 2022

The former Communist Party boss of Hangzhou, China’s e-commerce hub in Zhejiang province, is to stand trial soon on bribery charges.

State news agency Xinhua reported on Monday that prosecutors in Chuzhou, in Anhui province, had been assigned to handle the trial of Zhou Jiangyong.

According to the Xinhua report, 54-year-old Zhou is accused of taking advantage of his positions by accepting huge bribes for almost two decades.

Zhou Jiangyong appeared in a state television series on corruption in January. Photo: CCTV

The report said this was alleged to have begun almost as soon as Zhou landed a job as deputy chief of a small county in Zhejiang, and that he had allegedly continued to take bribes when he became a senior leader in the province.

He is accused of using “the convenience of his position and power, the actions of other state officials, to seek illegal benefits for some people”, the report said.

Zhou was detained in August and investigated for corruption by the party’s anti-graft watchdog. In January he was expelled from the party and accused of supporting “disorderly expansion” of private companies.

“Disorderly expansion” is a phrase that President Xi Jinping has used during a sweeping regulatory crackdown on China’s powerful tech giants. It generally refers to collusion and bribery between businesses and officials to get loans and public listings approved.