Former Director of China Geological Survey Bureau, Zhong Ziran, has been prosecuted by the authorities on charges of bribery and intentionally leaking state secrets. He is considered the “first tiger” of the Chinese Communist Party in 2024.
On October 25, the Supreme People’s Procuratorate of the Communist Party of China announced that the case of Zhong Ziran, former member of the Party group of the Ministry of Natural Resources, former Party secretary and director of the China Geological Survey Bureau, involving allegations of bribery and intentional disclosure of state secrets, has concluded the investigation by the National Supervisory Commission. The case has been designated for review and prosecution by the Ningbo City Procuratorate in Zhejiang Province.
Recently, the Ningbo City Procuratorate has filed a public prosecution with the Ningbo Intermediate People’s Court.
The prosecution alleges that Zhong Ziran took advantage of his position and the convenience formed by his powers or status to seek benefits for others, illegally accepting large amounts of money and property from others. Additionally, Zhong Ziran intentionally disclosed state secrets, with serious circumstances that warrant holding him criminally responsible for the charges of bribery and intentional disclosure of state secrets.
In January of this year, the website of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Chinese Communist Party and the National Supervisory Commission issued a bulletin stating that Zhong Ziran was under investigation for “serious violations of discipline and law,” making him this year’s “first tiger.” According to official sources on June 21, Zhong Ziran was expelled from the Party; on July 9, he was arrested and transferred to the judiciary.
Public records show that Zhong Ziran was born in August 1962 in Tongcheng, Anhui Province. He previously held positions such as Director of the Geological Survey Department of the former Ministry of Land and Resources, Deputy Director of the China Geological Survey Bureau, and Chief Engineer of the former Ministry of Land and Resources. In 2014, he became a member of the Party group of the former Ministry of Land and Resources and director of the China Geological Survey Bureau.
After the establishment of the Ministry of Natural Resources of the Chinese Communist Party in 2018, Zhong Ziran served as a member of the Party group of the Ministry of Natural Resources, director and Party secretary of the China Geological Survey Bureau. In September 2022, Zhong Ziran no longer held the positions of director and Party secretary of the China Geological Survey Bureau.
It is worth noting that the phrase “intentionally disclosing state secrets” is not commonly seen in the past notifications of the Chinese Communist Party’s discipline inspection department regarding investigated officials.
Previously, high-ranking officials who were investigated for illegally obtaining or disclosing state secrets included former Minister of Land and Resources Tian Fengshan 20 years ago, former Politburo Standing Committee member Zhou Yongkang, former Director of the General Office Ling Jihua, former Deputy Director of the National Tourism Administration Huo Ke (a former subordinate of Ling Jihua), former Secretary of Zhou Yongkang and former Party Secretary of Hebei Province Zhou Benshun, former Director of the Monetary Policy Department of the People’s Bank of China Sun Guofeng, former Deputy Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Committee of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region Dai Xianghui, former Deputy Director of the Transport Department of the Tibet Autonomous Region Wang Jinhe, former Deputy Dean of Xi’an Sports Institute Bai Yaoshi, and former Deputy Director of the China Welfare Lottery Distribution Management Center Wang Yunge.
Zhou Yongkang was convicted of the crime of “intentionally disclosing state secrets” among his various charges and was sentenced to 4 years in prison, while Ling Jihua was convicted of the crime of “illegally obtaining state secrets” and was sentenced to 5 years.