BEIJING: A former top Chinese economic planning official stood trial yesterday for allegedly taking bribes worth nearly $6m, the latest episode in the country’s much-publicised anti-corruption campaign.
Liu Tienan, former deputy director of the National Development and Reform Commission, is charged with taking $5.8m in bribes, said a statement posted by the Langfang Intermediate People’s Court in the northern province of Hebei. Prosecutors called for penalties that could see Liu jailed for life, according to the statement on the court’s verified account on Sina Weibo, a Chinese equivalent of Twitter.
The account showed a photo of Liu, clad in a black jacket and standing stiffly in court yesterday flanked by two uniformed court police officers.
Liu exploited his position to take bribes from various business people in exchange for benefits such as project approvals and help in securing car dealerships, the statement said.
The bribes were taken as cash, and gifts for his son -- including a villa in Beijing and a Porsche -- and in other forms such as a job created for the son, according to the statement.
The court released the trial’s proceedings on the Weibo account.
According to one of the postings, Liu pleaded for leniency, arguing that he contributed to the anti-graft drive by “drawing on his personal experiences” to compile suggestions on how to prevent corruption.
The government should delegate the power to approve projects and let the market make its own decisions, the posting cited Liu as saying.
It added that he confessed to investigators he had received bribes worth nearly 19 million yuan, of which authorities were initially unaware.
It was unclear whether that was part of the alleged 35.58 million yuan in bribes and how that would affect his case. Chinese courts often show some leniency to officials who reveal previously unknown information.
The court adjourned yesterday afternoon and said a verdict would be announced at “an appointed date,” according to a separate posting.
Allegations against Liu surfaced in 2012 when a journalist at investigative magazine Caijing accused him of fraud, graft and sending death threats. AFP
