Xu Caihou

Xu Caihou, former vice-chairman of China's Central Military Commission (CMC), has confessed to taking bribes, military prosecutors said on Tuesday.

The investigation into Xu's case has concluded and the filing of the case has begun, said a statement from the military procuratorate.

The ex-general was found to have taken advantage of his position to help others get promotions, accepted huge bribes personally and through his family, and to have sought profits for others in exchange for bribes. The amount of the bribes was "extremely large," the statement said.

The Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee expelled Xu from the Party and handed his case to prosecutors in June. Xu has been under investigation since March.

Xu, 71, was CMC vice chairman from 2004-12 and was made a general in 1999. Xu was discharged from military service with his rank of general revoked.

He is the highest-ranking military officer to be placed under investigation for corruption since the founding of the country in 1949.

The CPC Central Committee statement in June described his case as being "serious and having a vile impact."

In a Q&A posted on the People's Liberation Army's (PLA) portal on Tuesday, an unidentified officer with the military procuratorate said Xu has been placed under surveillance at his residence and had been informed of his litigation rights and obligations.

The officer also said Xu was diagnosed and started treatment for bladder cancer in February 2013. In June, the military procuratorate helped facilitate medical treatment and care for him out of humanitarian concerns.

"Based on the factual evidence, Xu Caihou's family members, who are suspected of taking bribes, will be dealt with in accordance with the law. We will resolutely investigate other people involved in the case and there will be zero tolerance," said the officer.

According to traceable media reports, Xu made his last public appearance on January 20, when he attended a performance held by the CMC for retired senior military officers.

A source within the military, who asked to remain anonymous, in late June told the Global Times that Xu's case may be related to the probe into Gu Junshan, former deputy head of the General Logistics Department of the PLA, who was charged with embezzlement, bribery, misuse of State funds and abuse of power in late March. It only took two years for Gu to be promoted to the rank of major general from a divisional-level officer.