A fresh scandal has hit China’s leadership ahead of this autumn’s once-a-decade transition of power, with reports that a close ally of president Hu Jintao has been blocked for promotion or even demoted following his son’s involvement in a fatal Ferrari crash.
Photos of the horrific smash in Beijing were deleted within hours of appearing on microblogs and websites in March. Even searches for the word “Ferrari” were blocked on the popular Sina Weibo microblog – prompting widespread speculation that a senior leader’s child was involved.
Now unnamed sources have identified the driver of the black sports car as the son of Ling Jihua, who was removed as head of the party’s general office of the central committee this weekend, the South China Morning Post and Reuters reported.
State media announced Ling had been made head of the united front work department – an important role, but a sign that he is unlikely to win promotion to the Politburo as hoped, analysts said.
The high-speed crash has shed further light on the lifestyles of those around the Communist leadership. The party has already weathered the ousting of the ambitious politician Bo Xilai, and the conviction of his wife, Gu Kailai, for murdering British businessman Neil Heywood.
The exposure of the multimillion pound fortunes of Gu and Bo’s family members, and subsequently of relatives of Hu’s heir apparent, Xi Jinping, have added to embarrassment for the party.
The Post said that Ling’s son, named Ling Gu and aged in his 20s, was killed in the crash and two young women seriously injured.
Sources quoted by Reuters said at least one of the trio died but that the victims’ identities were unclear; one said the young man had survived.
Both quoted sources claiming the son’s death certificate was altered to disguise his identity.
The Post alleged his surname was changed to “Jia”: a homophone for “fake” in Chinese, but also the surname of another senior leader, Jia Qinglin, who was reportedly furious at rumours that his family might be involved and ordered an investigation.
