Former deputy Party chief of NW China's Ningxia stands trial for bribery

SHIJIAZHUANG, June 20 (Xinhua) -- Jiang Zhigang, former deputy Party chief of northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, on Thursday stood trial in Hengshui City, Hebei Province, over bribery charges.

The Hengshui procuratorate accused Jiang, who was also former Party chief of Yinchuan, the capital city of Ningxia, of taking advantage of positions he held between 2003 and 2023 to offer help for others on matters of franchised dealer qualification, project biding and contraction as well as business cooperation and operation.

In return, Jiang illegally accepted money and property worth nearly 80 million yuan (about 11.2 million U.S. dollars), according to the procuratorate.

During the trial, prosecutors presented their evidence, the defendant and his defense counsel cross-examined the evidence and gave their respective accounts. In his final statement, Jiang pleaded guilty and expressed remorse.

A verdict will be announced in due course. ■