Former Chinese presidential aide Ling charged with bribery

An ex-aide of former Chinese president Hu Jintao has been charged with accepting bribes and illegally obtaining state secrets, prosecutors said on Friday, suggesting he will face jail after a trial.

The ruling Communist Party last year accused Ling Jihua -- once Hu's chief of staff -- of bribery and "trading power for sex," after expelling him the previous year.

Ling's son died in a notorious Ferrari crash in Beijing which disrupted a once-in-a-decade party leadership change in 2012.

The accusations against Ling are "extremely serious", the country's senior prosecutor said on its website, suggesting a lengthy sentence is likely.

He "abused his power" as director of the General Office of the Communist Party's Central Committee, where he worked under Hu, to "illegally receive large amounts of property and obtain state secrets", it added.

His prosecution means he will almost certainly face a tightly choreographed trial, with a guilty sentence and jail term almost guaranteed.

It comes as part of a high-profile crackdown on graft by current President Xi Jinping that has deposed several senior officials, notably former security chief Zhou Yongkang.

Critics say that a lack of transparency around the crackdown means it has been an opportunity for Xi to eliminate political enemies.

The Communist Party said in July that an internal probe found Ling "violated political discipline and rules".

The 2012 car crash involving Ling's son scandalised China despite a mainland media blackout -- partly because two young women, one nude and one partially clothed, were also injured in the crash, with one reportedly dying months later.

Internet users questioned how the son of a party official could afford a car worth a reported five million yuan (around $800,000).

Source: AFP