Former China Unicom general manager tried for taking bribes, abuse of power

JINAN -- Li Guohua, former general manager of the Chinese telecom giant China Unicom, stood trial at a court in East China's Shandong province on Thursday for taking bribes and abuse of power.

Li was charged with taking advantage of his various positions to seek profits for others in areas such as project contracting, enterprise operation and job promotions between 1998 and 2022, and taking money and valuables worth over 66.45 million yuan (about $9.30 million) in return.

Li allegedly abused his power when serving at the provincial postal administration of Jiangxi and the State Post Bureau of China, causing losses of state-owned assets worth over 49.96 million yuan, according to the prosecutors.

During hearings at the Intermediate People's Court of Qingdao, the prosecutors presented their evidence, which the defendant and his lawyers cross-examined.

Li pleaded guilty and expressed remorse in his final statement.

The verdict will be announced in due course.