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BEIJING. — An ex-aide of former Chinese president Hu Jintao has been jailed for life for corruption, illegally obtaining state secrets and abuse of power, official media reported yesterday. Ling Jihua pleaded guilty and said he would not appeal, Xinhua news agency said, citing the verdict of the First Intermediate People’s Court in Tianjin, which held his trial in secret last month.
“The trial today is engraved on my bones and in my heart,” it quoted Ling as saying in his final statement to the court. The chief judge carried out his duties “fairly and lawfully”, he added, and the proceedings were “solemn, meticulous, rational and civilised”.
The verdict and sentence come 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, who was himself jailed for life last year.
Ling’s son died in a notorious Ferrari crash in Beijing which disrupted the once-in-a-decade party leadership change when Xi took over from Hu in 2012. — AFP.
Online Reporter