Vital lessons from Zhou's case

Only a long-term mechanism to fight graft can prevent small 'flies' from becoming big 'tigers' and help cleanse the system

The news of former security chief Zhou Yongkang being placed under investigation for suspected "serious disciplinary violations" hit the headlines both at home and abroad, not least because he is the biggest "tiger" to be caught in the ongoing crackdown on corruption in China.

There had been talks about an investigation against Zhou for months but the official announcement came only on July 29. As a former member of the Political Bureau Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, Zhou had immense political influence over many officials holding powerful posts. So despite having clues about his involvement in corruption, anti-corruption officials would have struggled to probe into them. The higher position a corrupt official holds, the more resources he/she can mobilize to resist investigations against him/her and the longer he/she can evade the law.