On December 22, 2014, the official Xinhua News Agency published a brief announcement about the investigation of Ling Jihua for “suspected serious disciplinary violations.” Ling is vice chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, director of the Central United Front Department of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and former chief of the Communist Party’s Central Committee’s General Office.
According to an editorial that Huanqiu (the Chinese edition of Global Times) published on December 23, 2014, Chinese netizens cheered across the Internet that same night. There had been speculation as to whether Ling would get into trouble. He was removed from his position as the former chief of the Communist Party’s Central Committee General Office prior to the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China held on November 8, 2012. The editorial hinted that Ling’s downfall was related to “a Ferrari Car Accident” in Beijing on March 18, 2012. His son died in the accident. “Yesterday’s news released a strong message, ‘Anti-corruption will not stop or pause. Regardless how high and how powerful an official is, or how big a tiger, as long as he is verified as being a corrupt official, he will not be exempt.’” Huanqiu‘s comments continued, “We hope that he (Ling) has a deep feeling of guilty now. He owes too much to the public, including a sincere apology to the entire society (of China).”
Source: Xinhua, December 22, 2014 and Huanqiu, December 23, 2014
http://news.xinhuanet.com/legal/2014-12/22/c_1113737137.htm
http://opinion.huanqiu.com/editorial/2014-12/5277334.html