Former PLA chief to be prosecuted for corruption

Fang became the latest top defence official to be netted in the anti-graft campaign launched by President Xi Jinping, reported state media on Tuesday. Besides being head of the military till last year General Fang was a member of China’s powerful Central Military Commission (CMC) headed by Xi. CMC is the overall high command of the 2.3 million-strong People’s Liberation Army (PLA). He was under a cloud for sometime now. 

He was removed in August amid the 73 day Dokalam standoff with India. Fang has been transferred to the military prosecution authority on suspicion of bribery. The transfer was made after the approval of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC), the report said. Fang, 66, once the youngest commander of a PLA was described as an ‘opportunist’ by military insiders.

Last November, his colleague Gen Zhang Yang, also a member of the CMC under Xi, committed suicide as he also faced an anti-graft probe. Since Xi took power in 2014, over 40 top generals have been either punished or sacked on graft charges.