China Charges Ex-Hangzhou Party Chief With Taking ‘Huge’ Bribes

Chinese authorities accused the former Communist Party chief of Hangzhou of accepting “huge” bribes, escalating a corruption probe in the affluent eastern city where Jack Ma’s Ant Group Co. and Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. are headquartered.

The government will prosecute Zhou Jiangyong on allegations of bribery, according to a statement on the top prosecutor’s website that didn’t identify any companies. But the broader investigation into Zhou, who was arrested in February, has been linked to Ma’s fintech behemoth Ant.

Beijing began a sweeping crackdown on the private sector in late 2020 by forcing Ant to pull the plug on what ...