Former Liaoning official pleads guilty to bribery

Xue Heng, a former senior political advisor for Northeast China's Liaoning province, pleaded guilty to taking bribes of more than 135 million yuan ($19.88 million) when he stood trial at a court in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region on Thursday.

The case of Xue, who was the vice-chairman of the Liaoning provincial committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, was publicly heard by the Intermediate People's Court in the region's Bayannuur.

From 2001 to 2019, Xue made use of his various positions, including Party secretary of Dandong and Yingkou, two cities in Liaoning, and vice-governor of the province, to help departments and individuals profit in construction, enterprise operation, job promotion and work transfers, and he accepted bribes directly or through his family members between 2005 and 2021, according to prosecutors.

After retirement, Xue still took advantage of his original positions and the power to ask for bribes by offering aid for others in 2019, prosecutors said.

The total amount of bribery involved in the case was over 135 million yuan, the prosecutors said, adding Xue should be held accountable.

The court said it will announce its ruling at a later date.

More than 20 people, including Xue's family members, political advisors and national lawmakers, attended the hearing on Thursday.

Xue turned himself in and was placed under investigation for serious disciplinary and law violations in last August. A few months later, he was expelled from the Communist Party of China.

In May, he was prosecuted at the intermediate court in Bayannuur.