One of the nine top officials of the Communist Party of China is now facing multiple corruption charges. Zhou Yongkang is facing trial on charges of bribery, abusing power and revealing state secrets, prosecutors said on Sunday.

The prosecutor's office said that Zhou has not much chance of being forgiven for his misdeeds which are considered grave, reports the New York Times.

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The indictment of Zhou, the highest-ranking Communist Party official to face graft charges, is a big catch for the campaign of Chinese President Xi Jinping to remove corruption from the bureaucracy. Zhou is considered a big tiger caged by the anti-corruption campaign.

His alleged corrupt practices started early in Zhou's political career, dating back when he was an oil executive all the way to his five-year term on the Politburo Standing Committee as overseer over the courts, the police, local security forces and state intelligence agencies which are now handling his cases.

Although the prosecutor's office did not provide more details about how Zhou earned from corrupt acts, the New York Times estimated it reached $160 million.

Corruption investigation started after the 72-year-old official retired in November 2012. The charge claimed that Zhou "took advantage of his positions to seek gain for others, illegally accepted massive amounts of wealth from others, abused his powers, leading to major losses to public asset and to the interests of the state and the people."

Zhou's trial will be held in Tianjen, but the prosecutor's office did not provide the specific date. Restricted court access is common in China, and in Zhou's case, the courts could cite state secrets that Zhou knew and sold as justifications to limit media coverage.

Chinese netizens expressed interest in the trial because of the state secrets. Shanzi Evening New edit Xie Jun wrote in Sina Weibo, China's most popular microblogging site, "I'm dying to know what kind of state secrets he has leaked."

Zijin Tianxia asked, "Will the trial be open to the public? It's crucial time for building clean government in our country."

Investigations against Zhou started in July, and he was arrested in December.

USA Today reports that based on past cases, Zhou would likely get a suspended death sentence.

TagsAnti-corruption, Zhou Yonkang