China's state prosecutor on Friday formally charged a former senior aide to retired president Hu Jintao with taking bribes, illegally obtaining state secrets and abuse of power, state news agency Xinhua said.
The ruling Communist Party announced an investigation into Ling Jihua in December 2014. He had been demoted in September, 2012 from a ministerial-level job months after his son was killed in a crash involving a luxury sports car.