Fortune-teller linked to disgraced Chinese security chief Zhou Yongkang jailed for corruption
Man dubbed the ‘Xinjiang sage’ cultivated contacts that reached into the upper echelons of the country’s ruling elite, according to media reports
A court in central China on Friday jailed for seven years on corruption charges a man identified by Chinese media as a fortune-teller and healer connected to the disgraced former public security chief Zhou Yongkang.
Zhou, the most senior Chinese official to be ensnared in a graft probe since the ruling Communist Party swept to power in 1949, was jailed for life last year for bribery, leaking state secrets and abuse of power.
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Among his crimes was the unauthorised release of six secret documents to Cao Yongzheng, state media said, a man previously identified by Chinese media as a soothsayer, mystic and expert in qigong, a Chinese spiritual martial art similar to tai chi.
Cao provided testimony against Zhou in his closed-door trial, although it was unclear at the time whether he had done so in person or by deposition, or if he was also in custody.
The intermediate court in the central city of Yichang in Hubei province said in a brief statement that Cao had been found guilty of bribery and illegal land deals, jailed for seven years and fined 73 million yuan (HK$85 million).
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Cao said he accepted the judgement and would not appeal, the court said, without elaborating.
