China arrests former high-ranking official amid graft campaign

Chinese authorities have arrested former domestic security chief Zhou Yongkang and expelled him from the ruling Communist Party, accusing him of crimes ranging from accepting bribes to leaking state secrets.

Zhou, 71, a former member of the powerful nine-member Politburo Standing Committee, is the most senior figure to be snared in President Xi Jinping's anti-corruption crackdown.

Zhou would be the highest-level official to be prosecuted since the 1981 treason trial of Mao Zedong's wife and other members of the "Gang of Four" who persecuted political opponents during the 1966-76 Cultural Revolution. Another lower-ranking former Politburo member, Xu Caihou, who had been one of the nation's top military authorities, was accused of graft in June. Analysts said Xu's indictment was a sign that in China's sweeping anti-graft campaign, even the nation's highest-ranking elites aren't exempt from Xi's efforts to clean house. 

"He abused his power to help relatives, mistresses and friends make huge profits from operating businesses, resulting in serious losses of state-owned assets," Xinhua said in its report published shortly after midnight.

The decision to expel Zhou was made Friday after attendees at a meeting of the Political Bureau of the party's Central Committee deliberated over an investigation report on Zhou's "severe disciplinary violations," a phrase is usually used to describe corruption.

The Communist Party said in July it was investigating Zhou, who was in charge of China's massive domestic security apparatus before his retirement in 2012.

"The investigation found that Zhou seriously violated the party's political, organizational and confidentiality discipline," Xinhua said.

"He took advantage of his posts to seek profits for others and accepted huge bribes personally and through his family."

Zhou also leaked party and state secrets, took money and property either himself or through his relatives, Xinhua said, without providing details.

In a common accusation used to discredit fallen officials, Xinhua said Zhou had committed adultery with a number of women and had "traded his power for sex and money.”

Party members are banned from keeping mistresses.

It is unclear whether Zhou will receive an open trial and the midnight release of the news underscores the limits of the party's transparency in such ultra-sensitive cases.

Legal experts say the party runs a risk of Zhou threatening to reveal state secrets if he gets an open trial.

Sources with ties to China's leadership have previously told Reuters that Xi was determined to bring down Zhou for allegedly plotting appointments to retain influence ahead of the 18th Party Congress in November 2012, when Xi took over the party.

Zhou had nominated Bo Xilai, a charismatic politician with leadership ambitions, to succeed him as domestic security chief and had tried to orchestrate the younger man's promotion to the Standing Committee, the sources have said.

Bo later fell in a divisive scandal following accusations that his wife had murdered a British businessman in 2011. Bo's wife was convicted over the killing and Bo himself was jailed for corruption and abuse of power last year.

Xi has made fighting pervasive graft a central theme of his rule and has promised to go after "tigers" — senior officials — as well as those of lower rank who are implicated in corruption.

Al Jazeera and wire services