China's Central Commission for Discipline Inspection announced an investigation into Guo Yonghang, protégé of senior official Ma Xingrui, for "serious violations of discipline and law." The move deepens the mystery around Ma, the former Guangdong governor and Xinjiang party chief who has not appeared publicly for months. Guo, 60, was named vice-chairman of Guangdong's CPPCC committee in January.
China's top anti-corruption watchdog, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, announced on Friday that Guo Yonghang is under investigation for "serious violations of discipline and law," its standard euphemism for corruption and bribery.
Guo, 60, served as the top aide to Ma Xingrui when he was party secretary of the Guangdong tech hub Shenzhen from 2015 to 2016. A career bureaucrat, Guo rose from local departmental official to a key figure in Guangdong, eventually overseeing the provincial capital Guangzhou.
In January, Guo was named vice-chairman of the Guangdong provincial committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the country’s top political advisory body.
The probe into Ma's 'right-hand man' heightens the mystery surrounding the former Guangdong governor and Xinjiang party chief, who has not been seen for months. Keywords from reports include Communist Party, Politburo, Zhuhai, and President Xi Jinping.