IN BRIEF (Page 4)

Beijing

Former Sichuan official probed

The public prosecution of former Sichuan province official Guo Yongxiang, who is accused of taking bribes, began on Monday according to the Supreme People's Procuratorate. The SPP has finished its investigation of Guo, who is also accused of holding a large amount of property with unidentified sources. Guo used to head the Sichuan provincial federation of literacy and art circles. Before that, he served as deputy secretary-general and secretary-general of the Sichuan provincial committee of the Communist Party of China, vice-governor of Sichuan and deputy head of the standing committee of the Sichuan provincial people's congress.