Former senior political adviser prosecuted for bribery, abuse of power

Qi Zhala, former senior political adviser and former chairman of the government of the Xizang autonomous region, has been prosecuted for suspected bribery and abuse of power, China's top procuratorate said on Wednesday.

Qi has exploited the convenience and conditions created by his various positions of power and authority to seek benefits for others and illegally accepted substantial amounts of property from others. The amount involved is particularly large, and he should be held criminally responsible for bribery according to the law, the Supreme People's Procuratorate said in a statement.

The 67-year-old ethnic Tibetan was a member of the Standing Committee of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, the country's top advisory body. He was also deputy head of the CPPCC National Committee's Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee.

Prior to that, he worked in Yunnan province and Xizang for decades. Between 2017 and 2021, he served as chairman of the Xizang autonomous regional government.

The SPP has decided to arrest Qi on charges of bribery. And the prosecutors have filed a public prosecution with the Chongqing No 1 Intermediate People's Court against him.

Qi was expelled from the Communist Party of China and dismissed from public office for serious violations in July by China's top anti-graft watchdogs.

The CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Commission of Supervision found that Qi failed to shoulder the main responsibility of strictly governing the Party comprehensively, engaged in superficial projects for the sake of political achievements, long indulged in superstitious activities, and also resisted scrutiny into his conduct.

He misappropriated public funds for improper receptions, accepted banquets that compromised the fair implementation of his official duties, unlawfully received gifts and money, and made arrangements to ensure that his family members also profited from his political influence, the commissions said.

Qi was also discovered to have colluded with businessmen and took advantage of his positions to seek benefits for others in matters such as job promotion, project contracting, business operation and financing for which he received large sums of money in return, the commissions added.

They pointed out that Qi had seriously violated the Party's disciplines and was suspected of duty-related crimes, leading to the decision to expel him from the Party, remove him from public office and confiscate his illicit gains.