TheCable

Ling Jihua, a close associate of former Chinese president Hu Jintao, has been jailed for life for corruption, the state-run Xinhua news agency said on Monday.

Jihua pleaded guilty to bribery, illegally obtaining state secrets and abuse of power, said the court in the eastern city of Tianji.

The 59-year-old fell from favour after his son died in a car crash involving a Ferrari in March 2012.

Two women in the car were seriously injured.

It only emerged several months later that the person responsible for the accident was the son of a presidential adviser.

Questions were asked about how Ling could afford a luxury car worth several hundred thousand dollars.

In September 2012, Ling lost his job before the new leadership under President Xi Jinping took office.

His situation was made more complex when his younger brother Ling Wancheng fled to the US in 2015.

There were reports that he took secret documents with him.