A Chinese court has jailed for life a former senior aide to the retired president Hu Jintao after finding him guilty of taking bribes, illegally obtaining state secrets and abuse of power, during a secret trial in which his wife testified against him. The verdict in the case brings to a close another chapter in President Xi Jinping’s sweeping campaign against corruption that began more than three years ago. The party announced its investigation into the former aide, Ling Jihua, in December 2014. Ling had been demoted in September 2012 from a ministerial-level job, months after his son was killed in a road accident involving a luxury sports car. Read more
