Former education official accused of embezzling

China's former educational official in charge of physical education, health and art education was accused of embezzling and taking bribes of more than 50 million yuan ($7 million) on Friday in Shandong province, according to a public trial at the Intermediate People's Court of Dezhou City in Shandong.

According to the Dezhou City People's Procuratorate, Wang was accused of embezzling and falsely acquiring public funds totaling over 46.7 million yuan from June 2016 to August last year when he was at the post of the head of the Department of Physical Education, Health and Art Education under the Ministry of Education.

He was accused of embezzling the funds by himself and with others. Among it, he attempted to take more than 1.8 million yuan but failed.

Wang was also accused of taking bribes of 9.66 million yuan from January 2006 to the beginning of last year.

During the trial, the procurator presented relevant evidence, and Wang and his defense counsel cross-examined it. Both sides fully expressed their opinions under the supervision of the court.

Wang made a final statement and expressed his guilt and remorse, asking for lenient punishment.

On Friday, the court announced an adjournment and will schedule a date for the verdict.

More than 10 people from various sectors of society attended the trial as observers.

Wang, also the former vice-president of the Chinese Football Association, was placed under investigation last August.

The 58-year-old is a native of Shandong. He was appointed deputy secretary of the Party Committee of Peking University in 1999.

In 2006, he was appointed deputy director of the Department of Language Application and Administration of the Ministry of Education.

In November 2011, he became the head of the Department of Physical, Health and Arts Education.

Wang served as vice-president of the Chinese Football Association from 2014 to 2019. In 2015, he served as director of the office of the leading group of the national youth campus soccer work, and later served as deputy director of the office of the China Youth Football League in June 2022.

Yang Zekun contributed to this story.