New | Two senior Chinese officials suspected of corruption unwell, say sources

Two former senior officials subject to graft probes are ill and may not be able to stand trial, sources with ties to the leadership say, possibly sparing the Communist Party of having more of its secrets exposed in public.

Two sources with ties to the leadership said separately Ling Jihua, 59, an ex-top aide to President Xi Jinping's predecessor Hu Jintao, had apparently suffered a nervous breakdown, while Guo Boxiong, a former top general, was gravely ill with cancer.

The party announced an investigation into Ling in December. He was demoted in September 2012 from a ministerial-level job months after his son was killed in a deadly crash involving a luxury sports car.

"The pressure on Ling has been too great. He has never recovered from losing his son," one source said on condition of anonymity.

"He is blaming the rest of his family for his downfall."

Ling's wife and an older brother have also been detained by authorities for questioning over corruption allegations.

"Ling Jihua repeatedly shouted the names of his parents for no reason," a second source said.