On October 25, the Chinese government provided an update on the case involving Zhong Ziran, a former member of the Party Leadership Group of the Ministry of Natural Resources and the former Party Secretary and Director of the China Geological Survey, who is suspected of bribery and deliberately leaking state secrets. The case has been assigned to the Ningbo People’s Procuratorate in Zhejiang Province for review and prosecution by the Supreme People’s Procuratorate. Recently, the Ningbo People’s Procuratorate has filed formal charges with the Ningbo Intermediate People’s Court.
The prosecution alleges that Zhong Ziran took advantage of his positions, including his roles as the Deputy Party Secretary and Deputy Director of the China Geological Survey, as well as the Chief Engineer and a member of the Party Leadership Group of the former Ministry of Land and Resources. Utilizing the privileges and conditions afforded by his status, he allegedly sought benefits for others while unlawfully accepting significant amounts of money and valuables. Furthermore, Zhong is accused of violating the law on state secrets by deliberately disclosing classified information, a crime considered serious in nature, warranting charges of bribery and the intentional leak of state secrets.
Public records indicate that Zhong Ziran was born in August 1962 in Tongcheng, Anhui Province. He has held positions such as the Deputy Director and Deputy Party Secretary of the China Geological Survey since March 2007.
On January 2 of this year, reports confirmed that Zhong was under investigation. By June 21, it was officially announced that he had been expelled from the Party. He has been accused of misusing public resources, treating his power over geological surveys, mineral exploration, and other areas as tools for personal gain, engaging in transactions that traded influence for money, and leveraging his position to benefit others in areas such as business operations, project contracts, and mining rights approval while illegally accepting enormous amounts of property.
