BEIJING: Ma Xingrui, a member of China’s elite Politburo, is under investigation over suspected “serious violation of law and discipline”, becoming the latest senior Chinese leader to fall under the anti-graft watchdog’s scrutiny.
China is stepping up its years-long fight to root out corruption with the purge of sitting members of the Politburo, the ruling Chinese Communist Party’s decision-making body.
Ma, who also serves as the deputy leader of the central rural work leading group, is undergoing a disciplinary review and supervisory investigation, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection said in a notice on Friday (Apr 3).
It did not disclose any details regarding the case.
The investigation into Ma follows the probe of another Politburo member and China’s top general Zhang Youxia in January.
The expulsion of He Weidong from the ruling party for corruption last year reduced the 24-member Politburo to 23.
Ma and Zhang remain members in name only while the investigations unfold.
Ma’s most recent known public appearance was at the Chinese Communist Party Central Committee’s Fourth Plenum in late October.
Since then, he has been absent from the state broadcaster’s footage of several key events including the annual parliament meeting last month.
He was removed from his position as Xinjiang party chief in July last year, with Chen Xiaojiang taking over.