The man at the forefront of Chinese internet policy for years has been charged with accepting bribes while in office, state media have reported.
Lu Wei is accused of using multiple political offices he held throughout his career – including heading the censorship and propaganda apparatus – for his own benefit.
He was expelled from the Communist Party in February for being "arbitrary and tyrannical" as well as for "trading power for sex", according to a strongly worded indictment by the Party's disciplinary committee.
Among the most significant charges against Lu was deceiving the Party's leadership.
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Lu had become emblematic of China's online censorship apparatus and was once named among the most 100 influential people in the world by Time magazine.
But his standing in the country deteriorated following President Xi Jinping's consolidation of power in March.
In December, President Xi said the development of his nation's cyberspace was "entering a fast lane" and with it China's doors would "only become more and more open", although a roll-back in censorship is not anticipated.
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Lu is accused of having used his position to benefit himself and others while working for the Beijing government, as well as for the party's central propaganda department and as the head of the cyber administration.
He has given no public statement on the allegations.
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