Former Chinese Politburo member Ma Xingrui has been formally charged with accepting bribes, state media reported Thursday, a week after the ruling Communist Party confirmed his expulsion over alleged misconduct.
Prosecutors in Yichang, a city in central China's Hubei province, accused Ma of exploiting his official positions to accept exceptionally large bribes and provide benefits to others in exchange for financial gains, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
Ma joined the Politburo in 2022, but his political downfall became public in April when authorities announced an investigation into him over serious violations of party discipline and national laws without disclosing further details.
During his career, Ma held senior positions at the state-owned China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, which oversees key aspects of China's space programme. He also served as Communist Party chief of Shenzhen, a major technology and economic centre, and later became a member of the Politburo.
Prosecutors alleged that he abused the authority and privileges associated with these positions to commit the offences, although Xinhua provided no further details about the alleged activities.
Ma is the latest high-ranking official to be caught up in Chinese President Xi Jinping's longstanding anti-corruption campaign, which analysts say also serves to strengthen political loyalty to Xi.
The campaign received renewed emphasis during last week's closed-door fifth plenary session of the Communist Party's Central Committee, where leaders adopted a resolution calling for stronger discipline and intensified efforts to combat corruption.
The meeting also approved the expulsion of more than 30 senior officials from the party, including Ma and a former top military general who held the position until early this year.
The Politburo previously had 24 members, but three have recently been removed, including Ma and two military generals.
Before his downfall, Ma served as Communist Party chief of the Xinjiang region until 2025. Earlier, he was governor of Guangdong province, a major manufacturing hub in southern China bordering Hong Kong.
Under China's political system, the Communist Party secretary holds a higher position of authority than a provincial governor.