Vietnam will on Monday begin the trial of 22 former top officials including Dinh La Thang, a former member of its ruling Communist party’s politburo, as part of a sweeping and politically charged crackdown on alleged corruption in energy and banking.

Mr Dinh, who is 57, will appear in court on Monday on charges of economic mismanagement in connection with his former role as chairman of PetroVietnam, the country’s largest state-owned company by revenue.

The former ruling party official was arrested on December 8 after Vietnam’s national assembly stripped him of his lawmaker status and immunity from prosecution, and he will be the highest-ranking state official to face criminal charges in decades. Formerly a rising political star, Mr Dinh was also sacked as the top Communist party leader in Ho Chi Minh City. His brother Dinh Manh Thang was arrested the following day.