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Nanjing ex-mayor indicted in corruption probe

FORMER Nanjing mayor Ji Jianye was indicted today on corruption charges amid a widening crackdown on crooked officials.

Mr Ji faces charges of using his Communist Party and government positions to take massive bribes in return for favours, the state prosecutor’s office said.

His former position is equivalent to that of a deputy minister, making him one of the highest-ranking officials to be pulled in by the anti-corruption drive launched after President Xi Jinping was installed as party leader two years ago.

His term as Nanjing mayor, beginning in 2009, was marred by controversy, including rare street protests over the mass removal of the city’s beloved plane trees for a metro construction project.

He is scheduled to appear in a court in neighbouring Shandong province.

This is in keeping with the practice of forcing high-ranking officials to stand trial outside the region they once governed to minimise witness tampering or other possible intervention by their allies.

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