Communist Party expels former high-flyer Sun Zhengcai in countdown to key congress
Ex-Chongqing boss stripped of official titles as party prepares for changing of the leadership guard
Former political star Sun Zhengcai has been expelled from China’s Communist Party and will face prosecution, state media reported on Friday – two months after his shock downfall and just weeks before a key five-yearly leadership reshuffle.
Sun, once seen as a front runner for the highest reaches of political power, was dumped as the party boss of the megacity Chongqing in July and investigated by party graft-busters for “serious violations of party discipline”.
Xinhua reported that he had been stripped of all official titles, meaning the former high-flying politician had been removed from the 25-member Politburo, the party’s powerful decision-making body.
The report said Sun had been handed over to judicial authorities for further investigation, meaning he faced criminal prosecution.
Xinhua also reported that the investigation uncovered other evidence of Sun’s alleged crimes, suggesting the probe was not over and more developments were to come.
Sun’s expulsion was decided by the Politburo on Friday when it reviewed the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection’s investigation report on the former Chongqing boss.
