Deputy police chief faces graft probe

Probe targets brother-in-law of official known for Ferrari scandal

A senior police officer in Heilongjiang province was placed under investigation on suspicion of being connected to his brother-in-law's case of alleged corruption, according to a report in Caixin magazine on Monday. It did not reveal its source.

Gu Yuanxu, the deputy police chief of the province, is the brother-in-law of Ling Jihua, a senior Party official and a national political adviser suspected of corruption.

According to the Caixin report, Gu worked for the Haidian district government in Beijing and was later transferred to China Central Television's commentary department. He was promoted to head producer in the department.

A colleague spoke highly of Gu, saying he was a good coordinator for major news events and organized coverage well, Caixin said.

Gu began a two-year stint as deputy chief of the Heilongjiang public security department in September 2010. He continued to work in that role while also holding a post as the head of the province's anti-terrorism office.

There has been no official announcement about Gu's case, though it has drawn nationwide attention because of his family connection to Ling.

Ling became a controversial figure when he tried to cover up a scandal involving his son, who died in 2012. The son, Ling Gu, crashed his Ferrari with two half-dressed women while driving in downtown Beijing. The Ferrari, worth 5.6 million yuan ($900,000), was said to be a gift from a Party chief in Shanxi province.

Ling's wife Gu Liping is also said to be under investigation on corruption charges. She allegedly set up a charity organization as a cover for accepting bribes.

Ling is vice-chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference National Committee and head of the United Front Work Department of the CPC Central Committee. His former position as head of the Communist Party's general office is comparable to the White House chief of staff in the United States.

Ling got a quick promotion in 1999 when he was named vice-director of the General Office of the Communist Party's Central Committee. He later served the Party as the head of the office and member of the Central Committee until he was promoted in 2012.

His two brothers, Ling Zhengce and Ling Wancheng, both held important positions in the government and benefited from government resources and accumulated business wealth.

Ling Zhengce, built up influence in Shanxi province, the coal-rich home of the family where he served as vice-chairman of the province's political consultative body before an investigation in June. He was also the head of Shanxi's development and reform office, which wields great power in the distribution of coal resources in the province.

Ling Wancheng, worked at Xinhua News Agency for nearly 20 years before being named head of a company under telecommunications giant China Netcom. He invested in online television and invited two of his relatives to invest; both benefited. He was placed under investigation in October.