Former vice-Party chief of Sichuan stands trial

Li Chuncheng, former vice-Party chief of Southwest China's Sichuan province, went on trial for corruption at Xianning Intermediate People's Court in Hubei province on Thursday.

Li was charged with accepting bribes and abuse of power between 1999 and 2012 while serving as the vice-mayor, mayor and Party chief in Chengdu; Party chief in Luzhou; and vice-Party chief of the Sichuan Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China. Prosecutors said Li abused his power to gain benefits, including engineering contracts, for some enterprises and other concerns in land development. He accepted bribes totaling 39.8million yuan ($6.4 million) in cash and property. The illegal properties were given to him or to his wife and daughter.

Prosecutors said that between 2001 and 2011, at the request of Zhou Yongkang, the former security chief charged with corruption on April 3, Li abused his power to help others gain illegal benefits, resulting in losses to State assets.