China's Ex-Spy Boss Zhou Charged Over Secrets

The former head of China's spy agencies has been charged with disclosing state secrets, abuse of power and taking "huge amounts" of bribes - making him the most senior politician to be prosecuted in 30 years.

Zhou Yongkang, seen as an adversary of President Xi Jingping, now faces the prospect of a dramatic trial after prosecutors accused him of "vile" crimes.

The 72-year-old was targeted by the Communist Party's anti-corruption campaign, which has gone after high-level "tigers" as well as low-level "flies".

State media have labelled Zhou a "traitor" and touted the charges as an example of the determination to bring down corrupt officials whatever their rank.

However, there is suspicion among political experts that the move is designed to get rid of one of President Xi's potential rivals.

Zhou rose through the ranks of the oil industry, becoming the boss of China National Petroleum Corp in 1996, before taking a seat on the country's most powerful body, the Politburo Standing Committee.

He was arrested in December and is the highest-level politician to be charged since the 1981 treason trial of Mao Zedong's wife and other members of the 'Gang of Four' during the cultural revolution.

Zhou was also a supporter of jailed political star Bo Xilai , who fell from grace following the death of British businessman Neil Heywood, for which his wife, Gu Kailai, was convicted of murder.

Zhou's indictment claims he "took advantage of his posts to seek gains for others and illegally took huge property and assets from others, abused his power, causing huge losses to public property and the interests of the State and the people".

"The social impact is vile and the circumstances were extraordinarily severe," said the charge sheet.

Claims Zhou disclosed state secrets could give authorities a reason to hold some of the trial in secret, potentially hushing up any revelations of government infighting.

Bribery laws in China also permit the death penalty, but no trial date has been announced so far.

Zhou's case "will strike fear into the hearts of opponents or potential opponents, because [President] Xi Jinping has total control over the entire anti-corruption apparatus," said Willy Lam, a politics expert from the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

The anti-corruption drive has detained a number of senior figures from the so-called "petroleum gang" - politicians with links to China's state-owned oil industry.

Last month, Jiang Jiemin, another former boss of China National Petroleum Corp, was also arrested on bribery charges.