– ‘Especially vile’ –
The Ferrari crash involving Ling’s son scandalised China — despite a media blackout on the mainland — partly because two young women, one nude and one partially clothed, were also injured in the crash, with one reportedly dying months later.
Internet users questioned how the son of a party official could afford a car reported to be worth five million yuan ($150,000).
The politician, his wife and son received bribes worth a total of 77.1 million yuan, Xinhua said.
The court found that the bribes Ling took were “exceptionally enormous” and “the criminal circumstances” under which he obtained state secrets were severe, according to the report.
His abuse of power caused “huge losses to public property and the interests of the state and the people” and had “especially vile social impact”, it said.
When Ling was charged the country’s national prosecuting authority said he “abused his power” as director of the General Office of the Communist Party’s Central Committee, where he worked under Hu.
In several party leadership posts he “illegally received large amounts of property and obtained state secrets”, it added.
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