Zhou Yongkang

Zhou Yongkang (Chinese: 周永康; born December 3, 1942) is a former senior leader of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The 17th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (2007–2012) elected Zhou to be one of the nine members of the 17th Politburo Standing Committee; the highest decision-making body of the CCP, and the center of political power in the People's Republic of China. As a member of the Politburo Standing Committee (PSC), Zhou was a National Level (国家级正职) official, and listed 2nd in the CCP Hierarchy of command (only below the General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party). Zhou served as the Secretary of the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission during his PSC tenure; he oversaw China's security apparatus and law enforcement institutions, including courts, prosecution agencies, police forces, paramilitary forces, and intelligence organs until his retirement in 2012. In December 2014, Zhou was arrested on corruption-related charges and expelled from the Chinese Communist Party.

Zhou rose through the ranks of the CCP via his involvement in the oil and gas industry, beginning as a technician at the Daqing Oil Field during the Cultural Revolution. He led the China National Petroleum Corporation from 1996 to 1998 before serving as Minister of Land and Natural Resources until 1999. Subsequently, Zhou became the Party Secretary of Sichuan, Sichuan being China's second most populous province at the time. Zhou was a member of the Executive Meeting of the 10th State Council of China (2003–2008) as a State Councillor. During his tenure on the State Council, Zhou served as the Minister of Public Security, the Political Commissar of the People's Armed Police, a Secretary on the Secretariat of the Central Committee, and the Deputy Secretary of the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission. In October 2007, the 17th Central Committee elected Zhou to the Politburo Standing Committee (PSC), where he served as the Secretary of the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission. He retired at the 18th Party Congress in 2012.

In late 2013, Zhou was placed under investigation for alleged abuse of power and corruption, a decision publicly announced by state media in July 2014. He became the first Politburo Standing Committee member, and the highest-ranking official since the founding of the People's Republic of China, to be tried and convicted of corruption-related charges. Following his investigation, Zhou was expelled from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). On June 11, 2015, Zhou was convicted of bribery, abuse of power, and the intentional disclosure of state secrets by the Intermediate Court in Tianjin. Zhou and his family members were said to have taken 129 million yuan (over $20 million) in bribes. He was sentenced to life in prison, with no possibility of parole.