Ex-chairman of Kweichow Moutai charged with bribery

Yuan Renguo, former chairman of Kweichow Moutai Group, has been charged with accepting bribes by Guiyang City People's Procuratorate, according to Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP) on Friday.

The Guiyang City People's Procuratorate has prosecuted the case to Guiyang City Intermediate People's Court and the court hearing will be held at a later date, the SPP said in a statement on Friday.

According to the indictment, he took advantage of his job to gain benefits for other enterprises and individuals, then accepted huge bribes either paid in cash or other properties.

Yuan, 62, was born in Renhuai, Guizhou, where the Moutai group is located. He joined Moutai in 1975 and became deputy manager in 1990.

Between 1990 and 2018, he mainly served as deputy manager and manager of Kweichow Moutai Group, vice-chairman and chairman of Kweichow Moutai Group.

He was replaced by Li Baofang as the chairman of Moutai group in May 2018. One year later, he was dismissed from the Guizhou Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.

According to the SPP, the prosecutors informed his litigation rights and listened carefully to his lawyer's statement of defense during the interrogation to protect his legitimate rights.