The man who knew too much

 

The man who knew too much

The man too close to Xi's power plays is out

For years, Fu Zhenghua has been a key behind-the-scenes operator in Chinese politics. As a police investigator, graft buster and justice minister, he was a key enforcer of President Xi Jinping's anti-corruption campaign, locking up some of the leader's most powerful enemies.  Now the manhunter has become the hunted, with this month's news that Fu is under investigation for "serious disciplinary violations."   "This is a case of a man who knew too much. He was forced to leave, in quite a ruthless manner," a Communist Party source said of the shocking move.   Despite his contributions to Xi's consolidating power, Fu was not part of the president's inner circle. As paranoia builds up toward next year's Communist Party congress -- where Xi will seek to extend his own term as leader -- the president increasingly relies on a handful of subordinates who have served with him for decades.   At this point, anybody else could be fair game.