Yunnan's former party secretary "surrenders" to anti-corruption commission

Qin Guangrong, who led the southwestern province for years, is formally under investigation for "serious violations of the law and discipline" of the CCP.  The investigations also involve the son Qin Ling, former president of Huarong Investment Stock Corp. He is the first leader of this level to spontaneously hand himself in to the authorities.

Beijing (AsiaNews) - The former secretary of the Yunnan Communist Party handed himself in to the Central Commission for discipline and declared himself ready to cooperate.  It is the first time that a very high communist official "surrenders" - as some Chinese newspapers are entitled - to corruption investigations.  The war "against flies and tigers" launched by President Xi Jinping since the early days of his mandate aims to moralize the cadres and leaders of the Party but is also widely considered a tool to eliminate internal opponents.

Qin Guangrong, who led the southwestern province for years, is formally under investigation for "serious violations of the law and discipline" of the CCP.  The investigations also involve the son Qin Ling, former president of Huarong Investment Stock Corp: the company is implicated in the scandal that has swept away the state-owned financial giant China Huarong Asset Management.

Ling, the only son of the former communist leader, was one of the 7 executives present of companies linked to the former Huarong boss Lai Xiaomin: the man is accused for having accumulated bribes of 240 million dollars.  For him the death penalty appears.

Qing Guangrong is the first provincial level official to bring himself to justice.  Five other senior Yunnan officials - including a former deputy governor and Qin's predecessor - were all engulfed by the anti-corruption campaign.