The WSJ reports, "China's Communist Party ousted more officials from its ranks who are suspected of corruption and appear to have ties to former political heavyweight Zhou Yongkang.
A former secretary to Mr. Zhou named Ji Wenlin and an official who worked in the country's public security bureau once headed by Mr. Zhou named Tan Hong were expelled from the party for various acts of suspected corruption including bribery, according to separate statements Wednesday from the party's Central Discipline Inspection Commission. Also dismissed from the party for suspected corruption was Yu Gang, a former deputy director for the party's Central Politics and Law Commission, which Mr. Zhou also headed.
The men couldn't be reached for comment. In China's justice system, party dismissal often leads to criminal prosecution and the party announcements said the cases will be handed to prosecutors. It isn't known if any of them have a lawyer.
Chinese President Xi Jinping launched a serious corruption crackdown after taking the helm of the party in late 2012. Just two days ago, the push claimed its most senior catch yet, as the party stripped membership from a top retired general, Xu Caihou.
During this period of 18 months or so, Chinese investigators appear to have particularly targeted Mr. Zhou's network, according to analysts. Before his retirement in 2012, Mr. Zhou, 71 years old, sat on the party's highest decision-making bodies and oversaw the country's vast policing system.
Now detained are numerous people once close to him, including government officials, business executives and some of his family members, according to official announcements and people familiar with the situation. None of those detained is known to have been put on trial.
No allegations have been made public against Mr. Zhou himself. He wasn't mentioned in Wednesday's announcements. He isn't reachable for comment.
The party hasn't alleged publicly criminal wrongdoing by an official of Mr. Zhou's rank since purges that followed the death of Mao Zedong nearly four decades ago.
As the former general was ousted on Monday, the party also penalized three people directly associated with Mr. Zhou by kicking them out of its ranks for alleged corruption, including Jiang Jiemin. Mr. Jiang had been Mr. Zhou's successor as chairman of state-owned China National Petroleum Corp., and he later briefly led a government commission overseeing Beijing's biggest state-owned companies".
