China’s ex-security chief charged with corruption and disclosing state secrets

BEIJING – Prosecutors say China’s ex-security Zhou Yongkang has been charged with bribery, abuse of power and the intentional disclosure of state secrets.

The announcement Friday by the country’s procuratorate follows a lengthy investigation that also has scrutinized Zhou’s former allies in government and the oil industry. Zhou had been under investigation since late 2013.

Zhou, a former Politiburo Standing Committee member, is the highest-level official charged as part of President Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption campaign that began in late 2012.

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