China indicts former mayor of Nanjing on corruption charges

BEIJING — A former mayor of the major eastern Chinese city of Nanjing was indicted today (Dec 17) on corruption charges amid a widening anti-graft crackdown

Ji Jianye faces charges of using his Communist Party and government positions to take massive bribes in return for favours, the state prosecutor’s office said in a statement.

His former position is equivalent to that of a vice minister, making him one of the highest-ranking officials to be pulled in by the anti-corruption drive launched after President Xi was installed as party chief two years ago.

Ji’s official resume shows he spent his entire career climbing the ladder of the party apparatus in relatively wealthy Jiangsu province, of which Nanjing is the capital.

However, beginning in 2009, Ji’s term as Nanjing mayor was marred by controversy, including rare street protests over the mass removal of the city’s beloved plane trees for a subway construction project.

He is scheduled to appear in a court in the neighbouring province of Shandong in keeping with standard practice of forcing high-ranking Chinese officials to stand trial outside the region they once governed to minimise witness tampering or other possible intervention by their loyalists.

Ji has already been kicked out of the Communist Party, making his conviction all but certain. AP