Former Politburo Member Ma Xingrui Faces Bribery Charges in Hubei

State media reported Thursday that Chinese prosecutors have formally charged Ma Xingrui with accepting bribes. The former member of the Communist Party’s Politburo faces accusations from officials in Yichang, a city in central Hubei province. This legal action follows his expulsion from the party, which leaders confirmed last week.

Xinhua state news agency said prosecutors accused Ma of using his leadership positions to accept exceptionally large bribes. They alleged he used his authority to secure benefits for others and to accept financial assets. The agency stated that he leveraged the powers afforded to him in his various roles to commit these acts, though it did not provide specific details on the methods used.

Ma’s political career included high-level posts in China’s aerospace and technology sectors. He served in leadership positions at China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, a state-owned entity responsible for parts of the country’s space program. He also acted as the party secretary for Shenzhen, a major technology hub. In the Chinese system, the party secretary holds a higher rank than the governor in a province or region.

Before his role in the Politburo, Ma served as the Communist Party chief of the Xinjiang region until 2025. Prior to that, he was the governor of Guangdong province, a manufacturing center bordering Hong Kong. His appointment to the 24-member Politburo occurred in 2022. His downfall became public in April when authorities announced an investigation into severe violations of party discipline and national laws without releasing further details.

Ma is the latest senior official removed under the anti-corruption campaign led by Xi Jinping. Leaders reinforced this policy at a closed-door meeting of the Central Committee’s fifth plenum last week. During that session, they adopted a resolution focused on strengthening discipline and combating corruption. The leaders also ratified the expulsions of more than 30 senior officials, including Ma and the army’s top general until early this year.

Three members have recently been purged from the Politburo, leaving the body with fewer than its original 24 seats. The purged members include Ma and two military generals. Analysts have described the campaign as a tool to enforce loyalty to Xi while rooting out corruption within the party structure.