Mr. Zhou Yongkang was once listed by Forbes magazine (USA) as one of the most powerful people in the world.

According to Xinhua News Agency, on July 29, Mr. Zhou Yongkang, former member of the Politburo Standing Committee and Secretary of the Central Political and Legal Affairs Committee of China, was investigated by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Communist Party of China for "serious disciplinary violations".

Kể từ cuối năm 2013, các phương tiện thông tin đại chúng trong và ngoài Trung Quốc đã liên tục đưa tin về cuộc điều tra chống tham nhũng của các nhà chức trách nước này đối với ông Chu Vĩnh Khang.

Ông Chu Vĩnh Khang

Ông Chu Vĩnh Khang là thành viên cấp cao nhất bị điều tra kể từ năm 1980 khi “Bè lũ 4 tên” – bị đưa ra xét xử.

Các thông tin gần đây cho thấy có vẻ như cuộc điều tra chống tham nhũng quan trọng nhất trong nhiều thập kỷ qua ở Trung Quốc đang bước vào giai đoạn cuối. Nếu ông Chu Vĩnh Khang bị truy tố, đây sẽ là Ủy viên Thường vụ Bộ Chính trị về hưu đầu tiên ở Trung Quốc bị truy tố vì các cáo buộc tham nhũng.

Đường quan lộ của ông Chu Vĩnh Khang

Ông Chu Vĩnh Khang được coi là một trong những chính trị gia quyền lực nhất ở Trung Quốc trong thập niên vừa qua. Theo hãng tin Reuters, ông Chu chính là người đã bảo trợ cho ông Bạc Hy Lai, một chính trị gia nổi tiếng nhưng đã thất thế khác.

Theo thông tin trên “Nhân dân Nhật báo” online, ông Chu Vĩnh Khang sinh tháng 12/1942, là người dân tộc Hán, gốc Vô Tích (Wuxi), tỉnh Giang Tô (Jiangsu). Trong giai đoạn 1961-1966, ông theo học chuyên ngành khảo sát và thăm dò địa chất tại Khoa Khảo sát và Thăm dò thuộc Học viện Dầu khí Bắc Kinh. Trong giai đoạn này, ông Chu đã gia nhập Đảng Cộng sản Trung Quốc vào tháng 12/1964.

Ông Chu Vĩnh Khang (trái) và ông Bạc Hy Lai trong những ngày còn đương chức

Với tấm bằng cử nhân đại học trong tay, ông Chu Vĩnh Khang được coi là một kỹ sư cao cấp với cấp bậc tương đương một giáo sư. Năm 1967, ông đã khởi đầu sự nghiệp trong ngành dầu khí với tư cách một thực tập sinh và sau đó là kỹ sư tại đội thăm dò địa chất của Nhà máy số 673, mỏ dầu Daqing – một trong những mỏ dầu lớn nhất Trung Quốc nằm ở phía Đông Bắc tỉnh Hắc Long Giang.

Trong giai đoạn 1967-1985, ông Chu đã liên tục thăng tiến trong ngành dầu khí. Đến giữa những năm 1980, ông đã trở thành Thứ trưởng ngành dầu khí và sau đó được bổ nhiệm làm Phó Tổng Giám đốc kiêm Phó Bí thư Đảng ủy Tập đoàn Dầu khí Quốc gia Trung Quốc (CNPC) – một trong những doanh nghiệp hùng mạnh nhất tại nước này. CNPC được coi là bệ phóng quan trọng để chính trị gia này tiếp tục thăng tiến trên đường quan lộ.

In 1998, Zhou Yongkang was appointed Minister of Land and Resources. A year later, he was appointed Secretary of the Sichuan Provincial Party Committee. He was then elected as an alternate member of the 14th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and became a member of the 15th Central Committee.

According to the South China Morning Post, in 2002, Zhou Yongkang was appointed Minister of Public Security and was elected to the Politburo Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China in 2007. During the period 2007-2012, he served as a member of the Politburo Standing Committee and Secretary of the Central Political and Legal Affairs Committee. In 2012, Zhou retired.

Mr. Zhou Yongkang was once listed by Forbes (USA) as one of the most powerful people in the world and was likened to “China’s Dick Cheney”. In Forbes’ 2011 list of the most powerful people in the world, he ranked 29th, higher than leader Xi Jinping (ranked 69th), who was then Vice President of China.

The siege tightens.

According to Reuters, in late November and early December 2013, Chinese President Xi Jinping ordered the establishment of a special investigation team to investigate a number of allegations related to Zhou Yongkang from some of his political opponents, including allegations of corruption and violations of party discipline.

President Xi Jinping (right) is determined to deal with even high-ranking officials if there is corruption.

President Xi Jinping has previously described corruption as a threat to the survival of the Chinese Communist Party. Therefore, he considers fighting corruption a central task of the current administration.

After receiving orders from China's top leader, the country's authorities expanded their investigation, continuously interrogating or arresting many people related to Zhou Yongkang, including many people holding important positions in state agencies.

Reuters, citing unnamed sources, said that over the past six months, more than 300 relatives, political allies, employees and protégés of Zhou Yongkang have been removed from office, questioned or detained. Notable among them are Jiang Jiemin, who was once chairman of PetroChina and CNPC; former Vice Minister of Public Security Li Dongsheng; and Vice Governor of Hainan Province Ji Wenlin. “Xi is gradually pulling out all the teeth of this tiger,” said one unnamed source.

The CCDI website announced on July 2 that the Vice Governor of Hainan Island Province, Ji Wenlin, was charged with two crimes: corruption and adultery. For these crimes, he was expelled from the Communist Party of China.

Mr. Ji Wenlin and Zhou Yongkang worked together when Mr. Zhou was Minister of Land and Resources in the late 1990s. In addition, the two also worked together at the Ministry of Public Security in early 2000.

Another right-hand man of the “tiger” Zhou, Yu Gang, former deputy director of the Office of the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission (CPLC), was also expelled from the Party. In addition, there was Xin Hong, a former senior officer of the Chinese Ministry of Public Security. These were two secretaries of Zhou Yongkang when the former Politburo Standing Committee member was in charge of supervising the Ministry.

In a decisive move, on March 30, Reuters quoted two anonymous sources as saying that Chinese authorities had seized a huge amount of assets worth up to 90 billion yuan (14.5 billion USD) from the family and people related to Mr. Zhou Yongkang.

The assets include 300 apartments and villas, many antiques, famous paintings of great value, and more than 60 cars of various types. There is also foreign currency, gold, cash, and expensive wine. However, these assets are not in Zhou Yongkang's name but in the names of those arrested.

To have such a huge fortune, Mr. Chu also let his son, mother-in-law, relatives... win many oil and gas contracts (during the time Mr. Chu was Deputy General Director and Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of China National Petroleum Corporation). Moreover, when Mr. Chu was Secretary of the Sichuan Provincial Party Committee (1999-2002), there were many investment companies in the energy sector (based in Sichuan) considered to be Mr. Chu's "backyard".

“We will not tolerate corruption and corrupt officials,” Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said in a statement to reporters at the closing press conference of the annual session of the National People’s Congress in mid-March 2014. “No matter who they are or how high their position is, everyone is equal before the law.”

“If they violate party discipline or the law, they will be severely dealt with and punished according to the law,” Premier Li Keqiang affirmed.

The above statement by the Chinese Government leader shows the political determination of the Chinese Party and State in the fight against corruption. In particular, the decision to publicly investigate Mr. Zhou Yongkang demonstrates President Xi Jinping's tough stance that even the highest-ranking official who commits corruption will be severely punished./.

According to VOV