Beijing ( CNN ) China 's state prosecutors on Friday formally charged the country 's former security czar with accepting bribes , making him the highest-ranking Chinese Communist Party official ever to face corruption charges . Zhou Yongkang , 72 , was also charged with abuse of power and leaking state secrets , the Supreme People 's Procuratorate , the highest prosecution authority in China , said . As a member of the ruling Communist Party 's Politburo Standing Committee -- China 's top decision-making body -- Zhou was one of nine men who effectively ruled the country of more than 1.3 billion people . He retired in 2012 . At the height of his power , Zhou controlled police forces , spy agencies , court systems as well as prosecution offices across China -- and was n't shy in deploying his vast assets to crush dissent and unrest in the name of `` preserving social stability . '' Now , prosecutors have accused Zhou of `` taking advantage of his posts to seek benefits for others and illegally accepting huge amounts of money '' during his long political career . His alleged actions have caused heavy losses to public assets and greatly harmed national interests , they added . Zhou was notified of his legal rights during the investigation and his lawyer 's views were heard , according to a statement by the prosecutors . His case will be tried in Tianjin , a city near the Chinese capital , Beijing . The president of China 's supreme court recently told reporters there would be `` open '' trials for accused former leaders like Zhou . However , the charge of leaking state secrets may allow authorities to shield certain legal proceedings from public view in Zhou 's case . Zhou has not been seen in public since he attended an anniversary event at his alma mater in October 2013 . He was expelled from the Communist Party and arrested last December . State media have painted an intricate web of officials , cronies and tycoons -- some with alleged mafia connections -- orbiting around Zhou before the crumbling of his power structure last summer . Zhou and his family members were said to have accumulated enormous wealth , in a blatant exchange between money and power . He was also found to have affairs with multiple women and allegedly traded power for sex , state-run Xinhua news agency reported last year . Analysts have viewed his shocking downfall as a watershed moment in the secretive world of Chinese politics , now ruled by President Xi Jinping . Xi has been spearheading a massive anti-corruption campaign , targeting both `` tigers '' and `` flies '' -- high-ranking , and low-level , officials . Zhou is by far the biggest tiger caught in Xi 's dragnet to date . `` The important thing here is that Xi has proven he 's powerful enough to break this taboo of never incriminating former Politburo Standing Committee members , '' longtime political analyst Willy Lam , a professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong , said last year , when the government revealed its formal investigation into Zhou . Many observers also note Zhou 's patronage of Bo Xilai , a former Communist leader sentenced to life in prison for corruption in 2013 . Bo 's spectacular downfall the year before -- complete with tales of murder , bribery and betrayal -- attracted global attention . State media have cited his subsequent conviction as a prime example of Xi 's resolve to clean up the party . The former Chongqing Communist Party chief 's supporters , however , have long called him a political victim -- the former high-flying politician was once considered Xi 's main challenger for the top spot of Chinese leadership . Political watchers see similarities between the Bo and Zhou cases . `` The people being investigated for corruption are on the losing side of factional struggles , '' said Lam , who has predicted a suspended death sentence for Zhou .
Prosecutors formally indicted former top official Zhou Yongkang . Zhou charged with widespread corruption , abuse of power and leaking state secrets . Former domestic affairs official is the most senior Chinese official to file corruption charges .