Former Guangxi official charged for bribery

Liu Hongwu, former vice-chairman of the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, was charged with bribery in a public trial in Hainan province on Wednesday.

The First Branch of the People's Procuratorate of Hainan Province accused and indicted Liu, stating from 2005 to 2022 he took advantage of his positions in the government, such as deputy mayor of Beihai and Hezhou, director of the Development and Reform Commission of Guangxi and the region's vice-chairman, to provide assistance to units and individuals in matters such as project contracting, land development projects and obtaining special subsidy funds.

He directly or through others illegally accepted money and valuables from them worth over 83.73 million yuan ($11.77 million) in total. The procuratorial organ requested Liu be held criminally responsible for bribery.

Liu pleaded guilty and made a final statement at the First Intermediate People's Court of Hainan province. At the end of the trial, the court announced an adjournment and scheduled a date for the verdict.

The 57-year-old, born in Hubei province, began working in 1989 and joined the Communist Party of China in 1997. He worked as vice-chairman of Guangxi from July 2020 to January 2022. That month, Liu was placed under investigation for suspected serious violations of discipline and law.

Chen Meiling contributed to this story.