China has expelled a former top Xinjiang official from the ruling Communist Party and removed him from all his posts over allegations of corruption, including nepotism, bribery and paying for sex, state media said on Tuesday.
Ma Xingrui, 66, was a member of the Communist Party’s Politburo, a top decision-making body headed by President Xi Jinping that effectively runs the country.
The Politburo approved a report by the party’s anti-corruption watchdog laying out a long list of allegations against Ma, who has been under investigation since April, state news agency Xinhua said.
The investigation found that Ma had “helped family members buy houses at below-market prices, engaged in power-for-sex and money-for-sex transactions, and allowed family members to use the influence of his position to seek large benefits,” Xinhua reported.
He also “sought benefits for others in business operations, project contracting and job promotions, and unlawfully accepted large sums of money and valuables,” he said, adding that his case was “particularly serious.”
Ma was in charge of Xinjiang between 2021 and 2025.
The northeastern region faced a series of deadly attacks on civilians until the mid-2010s that Beijing blamed on separatist and Islamist armed groups.
Over the past decade, the region has been subject to a crackdown by Chinese authorities in the name of counter-terrorism, mainly targeting the Uyghur Muslim minority accused of involvement in the attacks.
Human rights organizations have condemned the strike.
An explosive 2022 report by former UN high commissioner for human rights Michelle Bachelet cited “possible crimes against humanity” in Xinjiang.
