Bribery trial of ex-vice minister begins

The bribery trial of another high-ranking security official, a former aide to ex-security chief Zhou Yongkang, opened on Wednesday, the latest in a series of graft trials and sentencings ahead of a key Communist Party of China meeting this month.

Li Dongsheng, former vice-minister of public security, went on trial on Wednesday in Tianjin for allegedly accepting huge bribes, according to Tianjin authorities.

Li, 60, was charged with accepting bribes valued at 21.98 million yuan ($3.5 million), according to Tianjin People's Procuratorate No 2.

Between 1996 and 2013, Li served as deputy president of State broadcaster CCTV, vice-minister of public security and a member of the Commission for Political and Legal Affairs of the CPC Central Committee.

Prosecutors said that Li used his position to benefit 11 organizations and individuals, including the former chairman of Beijing Hanjian Construction Group, between 1996 and 2013 through such processes as acquiring bids and handling of cases and job transfers.

He was charged with accepting bribes, either personally or through his relatives, between 2007 and 2013, according to the prosecutors.

"During the court hearings, the prosecutors presented relevant evidence, and the court informed Li of his legitimate rights and heard the lawyer's defense opinions," according to a statement from Tianjin No2 Intermediate People's Court.

According to the court, a verdict will be announced at a later date.

Li's trial comes after the sentencing this week of former associates of Zhou Yongkang, the former security chief who was imprisoned for life for corruption in June. They included Jiang Jiemin, former head of the State-Owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, who received 16 years in prison on Tuesday; and Wang Yongchun, a former senior energy executive who was given 20 years in prison on Monday.

The trial of another Zhou aide, JiWenlin, former deputy governor of the southern province of Hainan, also began on Wednesday in a Tianjin court.

Since November 2012, when the new leadership took office, fighting corruption has become the top priority for the Party and the country.

The CPC Central Committee will meet from Oct 26 to 29 to set out the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20). Last year's annual session focused on law-based governance.

zhangyan@chinadaily.com.cn