Former court president of East China province indicted for bribery

BEIJING -- A former president of the Higher People's Court of East China's Anhui Province has been indicted on charges of taking bribes, the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP) said Wednesday.

Zhang Jian, also former secretary of the leading Party members group of the court, was accused of taking advantage of his various former positions and using his power or status to seek profits for others and accepting vast sums of money and gifts in return, the SPP said in a statement.

Zhang's case was handed over to the Xiamen Municipal People's Procuratorate in East China's Fujian Province for review and prosecution upon the designation of the SPP after the National Supervisory Commission concluded the investigation, it said.

Zhang will stand trial in the Xiamen Intermediate People's Court, it added.

The SPP said the prosecutors had informed the defendant of his litigation rights, interrogated him and listened to the defense counsel's opinions.