Top aide in China under investigation

The top aide to former Chinese president Hu Jintao has been placed under investigation for disciplinary violations, the official Xinhua News Agency said.

The announcement came two years after Ling Jihua fell out of political favour when a lurid scandal involving his alleged cover-up of his son’s death in a speeding Ferrari disrupted his political ascent.

But Mr Ling returned to the public eye this year when his two brothers came under investigation, triggering speculation that he too would be implicated under President Xi Jinping’s widening anti-corruption campaign. The campaign is seen by many as a means to not only restore public confidence in the ruling Communist Party, but also to root out threats to Mr Xi’s political dominance.