Mr Zhou was head of China’s vast internal security apparatus until 2012
Ex-security chief Zhou Yongkang, the most senior Chinese official to be investigated for corruption, has been arrested and expelled from the Communist Party, state media report.
The Supreme People’s Procuratorate, China’s top prosecuting body, said it had opened a formal probe against him.
Before he retired two years ago, Mr Zhou was the head of China’s vast internal security apparatus.
Many of his former associates and relatives also face corruption probes.
Since coming to power, Chinese President Xi Jinping has launched a high-profile campaign to weed out corruption among party and government officials.
Mr Zhou was accused of several crimes, including “serious violations of party discipline”, “accepting large sums of bribes”, “disclosing party and state secrets” and “committing adultery with several women” as part of corrupt transactions, Xinhua news agency reported (in Chinese).
Mr Zhou’s arrest was announced in a statement by the Supreme People’s Procuratorate, released late on Friday night.
‘Most feared’
Mr Zhou, who is in his 70s, has not been seen in public for more than a year.
Analysts say the investigation against Mr Zhou allows Xi Jinping to consolidate his power base, remove people opposed to his reforms, and improve the image of the Communist Party.
Mr Zhou was previously also a member of China’s top decision-making body, the Politburo Standing Committee.
Analysis: Zhuang Chen, BBC Chinese
Zhou Yongkang was allegedly the most feared and powerful senior official before he retired two years ago from the pinnacle of China’s decision-making body. He is also the biggest “tiger” – the highest ranking official – caged by Xi Jinping in his anti-corruption drive.
Dubbed “Master Kang”, Mr Zhou put many of his followers in powerful positions in the oil and security sectors during his heyday in office. Many of his loyalists have since been either sentenced or indicted on corruption charges.
It has taken over a year to investigate his case, which suggests the authorities are mindful of its sensitivity. Some suspect the party would rather deal with his case in secrecy, given how much Mr Zhou knows.
The fact that he is to be investigated by state prosecutors means the authorities have gathered sufficient evidence.
It also shows an ever-more confident Xi Jinping making Mr Zhou a case in point to further consolidate his power.
The suspense now is over whether Mr Zhou will be charged and tried in public, in the fashion of his disgraced former ally Bo Xilai.
A Chinese minister has previously said that the investigation against Mr Zhou would take a long time to complete.
Mr Zhou had enjoyed a close working relationship with former Chongqing party chief Bo Xilai, who was sentenced to life imprisonment last year on bribery charges.
Bo’s wife Gu Kailai was given a suspended death sentence in 2012 for the murder of British businessman Neil Heywood.
Bo’s downfall was seen as the biggest political shake-up to hit China’s ruling elite in decades, and revealed divisions at the top of the party over how the scandal should be handled.
Sursa: BBC NEWS
Monthly Archives: December 2014
Fiscul nu vrea sa raspunda la cererile de informatii despre recuperarea prejudiciului din marile dosare
Sursa: Hotnews.ro
Agentia Nationala de Administrare Fiscala (ANAF) nu a reusit, dupa numeroase insistente ale HotNews.ro, sa furnizeze date de interes public referitoare la recuperarea prejudiciului din dosarul ICA. Avand in vedere ca statul roman a inceput recuperarea prejudiciului de 60 de milioane de euro, un reporter HotNews.ro a intrebat in mod oficial daca Ministerul de Finante sau ANAF a incheiat un contract de inchiriere cu Antena Group pentru sediul Antena 3. Prima formulare a unei solicitarii in baza legii 544/2001 a fost trimisa la Ministerul Finantelor Publice pe data de 28 octombrie. Dupa redirectionarea acesteia catre ANAF si numeroase apeluri telefonice, reporterul HotNews nu a primit raspunsul la o chestiune simpla, de interes public.
Pe 14 noiembrie, HotNews.ro a trimis o a doua solicitare la Ministerul Finantelor, precizand ca in baza legii 544/2001, institutia trebuia sa raspunda in termen de 10 zile.
Dupa 3 zile, pe 17 noiebrie 2014, Ministerul Finantelor ne comunica faptul ca solicitarea “a fost redirectionata spre competenta solutionare a Agentiei Nationale de Administratie Fiscala” si ca “raspunsul va fi comunicat indata ce ne va parveni”.
Marti, 2 decembrie 2014, reporterul HotNews a sunat atat la Ministerul Finantelor, cat si la ANAF. In prima faza, persoana de contact de la finante a spus ca solicitarea noastra intra in competenta ANAF, astfel ca orice intrebare si plangere trebuie adresata institutiei in cauza.
La primul apel, reprezentantul ANAF, dupa ce a gasit solicitarea HotNews in baza de date, a afirmat ca va incerca sa o solutioneze in aceeasi zi, mentionand ca va reveni cu un telefon. Dupa mai mult de 5 ore, avand in vedere ca nu a mai fost contactat de catre cei de la ANAF, reporterul HotNews.ro a revenit cu un apel telefonic. Si de aceasta data, un posibil raspuns a fost amanat pentru miercuri.
Miercuri, 3 decembrie, am revenit cu un telefon la ANAF deoarece nu am fost contactati de nicio persoana din cadrul institutiei referitor la problema solicitarii noastre.
De aceasta data, reprezentantul Agentiei Nationale de Administratie Fiscala a spus ca nu a primit niciun raspuns si ca “nu stie cat mai dureaza”, precizand ca este posibil ca pentru aflarea informatiilor cerute sa fie necesare “semnaturi de la director”.
In plus, HotNews.ro a trimis, pe data de 27 noiembrie 2014, 8 solicitari in baza legii 544/2001 referitoare la recuperarea prejudiciului in cazurile lui Sorin Apostu (fost primar al Clujului, prejudiciu de 272.858,70 lei), Adrian si Dana Nastase (prejudiciu 1.824.303 lei), Antonie Solomon (fost primar al Craiovei, prejudiciu 50.000 de euro), Catalin Voicu (prejudiciu 200.000 de euro si 119.000 lei), Dan Pasat (fost deputat, prejudiciu 1.836.608, lei) si al lui Dumitru Boriga (fost primar al municipiului Targoviste, prejudiciu 95.000 de euro).
Desi a trecut mai mult de o luna de la prima solicitare trimisa, reporterul HotNews.ro nu a primit momentan niciun raspuns de la ANAF.
In cadrul dezbaterii “Confiscarea Extinsa: Cat recuperam?”, organizata de Expert Forum, reporterul HotNews.ro l-a intrebat pe reprezentantul ANAF prezent de ce institutia pe care o reprezinta nu raspunde solicitarilor jurnalistilor, insa acesta a evitat sa formuleze un raspuns exact.
In timpul discutiilor s-a ridicat si aspectul “secretizarii” unor informatii, ANAF raspunzand la un moment dat unor solicitari adresate de mass media in legatura cu recuperarea prejudiciului in cazul ICA – Dan Voiculescu precizand ca informatiile sunt supuse secretului fiscal.
Intrebata daca procedurile sunt secretizate in acest dosar, dar si in altele in care este vorba de recuperari de prejudiciu, reprezentanta ANAF a afirmat ca “unele da, unele nu”.
Daniel Morar a afirmat ca in acest caz nu exista motive de secretizare , precizand ca ceea ce se intampla la ANAF “nu e scuzabil”.
Dezbaterea “Confiscarea Extinsa: Cat recuperam?” a evidentiat faptul ca lipsa eforturilor din partea ANAF a facut ca rata de de punere in executare a deciziilor judecatoresti definitive este una scazuta, in jur de 5-8%.
Potrivit unei analize statistice realizate de Expert Forum, “rata scazuta a punerii in executare a deciziilor judecatoresti de catre ANAF e un motiv de ingrijorare pentru toata lumea”.