At the height of his power, Zhou Yongkang controlled police forces, spy agencies, court systems and prosecution offices across Chinaand the domestic security czar wasn’t shy in deploying his vast assets to crush dissent and unrest in the name of “preserving social stability.”
During his reign before retiring in 2012, as worsening income inequality and official corruption fueled mass discontent nationwide, Zhou oversaw the domestic security budget swell to surpass that of the two million-strong Chinese military — the world’s largest.
As a member of the ruling Communist Party’s Politburo Standing Committee — China’s top decision-making body — Zhou was one of nine men who effectively ruled the country of more than 1.3 billion people.
Away from the spotlight, though, Zhou and his family members were reportedly taking advantage of his leadership position to accumulate enormous wealth. The allegedly blatant exchange between money and power, as revealed by China’s state media, would eventually prompt Zhou’s shocking downfall last summer.
After months of intense political rumors, the Communist Party’s disciplinary arm in late July announced a formal investigation into Zhou for “serious disciplinary violations.” On Saturday, state-run Xinhua news agency reported his arrest after the Communist leadership expelled him from the party.
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Details have also emerged in Chinese media about possible skeletons in Zhou’s closet, including the suspicious circumstances surrounding the death of his first wife. Most stories, though, have focused on the vast wealth amassed by Zhou’s older son as well as his two brothers and their families. The Zhous reportedly benefited immensely from China’s booming energy and real estate sectors thanks to Zhou’s deep ties to the two related ministries.
Zhou’s older son, who is 42, is said to own multiple luxury properties worth millions of dollars. Before even turning 30, the younger Zhou’s first foray into business met with fast growth and quick success after winning a contract to upgrade IT systems for 8,000 gas stations across China. His companies also reportedly reaped huge financial gain from buying and selling oil fields and hydropower stations.
State media reports also indicated that one of Zhou’s younger brothers, a onetime farmer, used Zhou’s influence to launch a “crisis management” business and profited from helping people get out of jail, enter police academy and sell steel pipes to state-owned oil fields.
Other published articles have painted an intricate web of officials, cronies and tycoons — some with alleged mafia connections — orbiting around the domestic security czar before the crumbling of his power structure.
“I think, unlike Bo Xilai, Zhou Yongkang will cooperate with investigators because his family is involved,” said analyst Lam, predicting a suspended death sentence for both Zhou and his older son. “His only incentive now is to protect his son — he will toe the line to protect his son.”
READ: Is China’s corruption crackdown really a political purge?
