Xu Caihou dies of cancer

Former No 2 military official Xu Caihou, who was placed under investigation for allegedly accepting massive bribes, has died of cancer, China's Military Procuratorate said on Monday.

"We have dropped charges because of his death, but will handle his ill-gotten gains according to the law," said an official with the procuratorate who spoke on condition of anonymity.

According to the prosecuting department, Xu died at PLA General Hospital in Beijing on Sunday of multiple organ failure caused by bladder cancer after efforts to save him failed. He was 71 years old.

"As he was suffering from a serious illness, we immediately sent him to the hospital and arranged for medical experts to treat him," the official said.

Xu, the former vice-chairman of the People's Liberation Army, was the most senior military official snared in a sweeping crackdown on corruption within the Party launched by President Xi Jinping.

Xu retired from the military in 2013 but was placed under investigation last March for "serious violations of discipline" and was later expelled from the Party and transferred to the military prosecuting department for alleged graft. His general's rank was revoked.

His cancer was diagnosed in Feb 2013, and his death forestalls the prospect of a lurid trial. According to military prosecutors, Xu "abused his powers to assist the promotion of others and accepted huge bribes personally and through his family".

The authorities said in October that Xu had confessed.

Since November 2012, when the new leadership was elected, fighting corruption rose to a top priority for the country, and the effort has been forceful.

To date, more than 30 corrupt generals in the military system have been placed under investigation for alleged graft.

One day before the opening of the annual session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference in Beijing, on March 2, military authorities released a list of 14 generals convicted of graft or put under investigation.

In a separate development, Liao Yongyuan, general manager of China National Petroleum Corp, one of the nation's oil giants, is being investigated for suspected "serious law and discipline violations", according to a statement released on Monday by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection.

zhangyan1@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 03/17/2015 page3)