Ex-official pleads guilty in Heilongjiang corruption case

At a public trial in Qitaihe, Heilongjiang province, on Monday and Tuesday, Zhao Zhonghou, 66, former chairman of the Education, Science, Culture and Health Committee of the Heilongjiang People's Congress pleaded guilty of taking bribes, embezzlement, holding a huge amount of property with unidentified sources and money laundering

The trial took place in Qitaihe Intermediate People's Court. The outcome will be announced later, according to a statement released by the Heilongjiang High People's Court on Tuesday.

Prosecutors from the Qitaihe People's Procuratorate said that from early 2001 to November 2019, Zhao took advantage of his positions to seek benefits for companies and individuals in work promotion, post adjustment, staff recruitment, project contracting and equipment procurement.

He had been Party secretary and director of the Heilongjiang Institute of Health Supervision; deputy Party secretary and director of the Heilongjiang Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention; deputy Party secretary, deputy director, Party secretary and director of the Heilongjiang Health Department and numerous other positions.

In return, he received money and property totaling 170 million yuan ($24.4 million), prosecutors said.

Zhao was also found to have embezzled public funds of more than 19.47 million yuan himself or while working with others, according to prosecutors.

Zhao's personal property is worth far more than the income he was receiving could have sustained. He could not explain how he obtained property worth 67.98 million yuan.

From May to November 2021, Zhao transferred more than 40.84 million yuan via other people's bank cards to cover up his crime, prosecutors said.

During the trial, they showed the evidence and Zhao pleaded guilty after making a final statement.

More than 160 people attended the trial.

Zhao was born in Shuangyanshan, Heilongjiang, joined the workforce in 1978 and joined the Communist Party of China in 1983.

He served as chairman of the Education, Science, Culture and Health Committee of the Heilongjiang People's Congress from March 2017 to December 2019. He retired in March 2020.