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BEIJING, April 3 (UPI) -- Retired domestic security chief Zhou Yongkang was indicted Friday on charges of bribery, abuse of power and intentional disclosure of state secrets. He is the highest-ranking Communist Party official to be charged with graft.
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Zhou, 73, had been one of nine members on the powerful Politburo Standing Committee before retiring in 2012, and had acquired a large amount of influence in government service in southwest China's Sichuan province, while his family amassed wealth in the oil and gas sector of the economy he administered.
The Chinese Communist Party announced the initiation of a broad corruption inquiry in July 2013, although no specific charges were announced at the time. He was arrested in December and expelled from the Communist Party.
Zhou is among several formerly prominent government figures to be investigated as part of President Xi Jinping's crackdown on corruption.
On Friday, the prosecutor's office released a statement detailing the charges against Zhou. According to the indictment, Zhou illegally used his office to enrich himself and others. His corruption and intentional disclosure of state secrets were described by the prosecutor's office as "particularly serious."
Zhou's trial will be held in Tianjin, near Beijing, although the date of the trial has not yet been made public.
Prosecutors noted Friday that Zhou has been informed of his legal rights, was interrogated, and has spoken with his attorneys.
