Former Politburo Member Ma Xingrui Faces Bribery Charges in Hubei

Ma Xingrui, a former member of China's Politburo, faces formal charges for accepting bribes. State prosecutors in Yichang, Hubei Province, filed the accusations on Thursday. This move follows his expulsion from the Communist Party, which party leaders confirmed one week prior.

The prosecution alleges that Ma leveraged his leadership roles to receive exceptionally large bribes. Xinhua News Agency reported that he also secured benefits for others and accepted financial assets. The specific mechanisms of these transactions were not detailed in the official announcement.

Ma held several high-profile positions before his recent downfall. He served as the party secretary for Shenzhen, a major technology center, and as the top leader of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation. The latter is a state-owned entity responsible for parts of the national space program. He was appointed to the Politburo in 2022.

His investigation became public in April. Authorities announced at that time that he was under review for severe violations of party discipline and national laws. The probe did not initially provide details on the nature of the alleged misconduct.

Ma's case is part of a wider enforcement effort led by Chinese President Xi Jinping. At a closed-door meeting of the Central Committee's fifth plenum last week, leaders adopted a resolution aimed at strengthening discipline and combating corruption. During this session, the body ratified the expulsion of more than 30 senior officials from the party. This group included Ma and a former army general who held the top military post until early this year.

The Politburo currently has 24 members. This number reflects the recent removal of three individuals, including Ma and two military generals. Ma also served as the Communist Party chief for the Xinjiang region until 2025. Prior to that role, he was the governor of Guangdong Province, a key manufacturing area bordering Hong Kong.