Former Regional Officials İn China Charged With Bribery

Two former high-ranking officials in China were indicted Wednesday as part of an ongoing government crackdown on corruption, according to state media.  



The country's highest prosecution and investigation agency released a statement announcing charges had been brought against Liao Shaohua and Ji Jianye -- former officials from southwestern Guizhou province and eastern Jiangsu province, respectively – in two separate cases.



Liao, who used to be a member of a provincial Communist Party committee and the party's chief in Zunyi City, is accused of bribery through taking advantage of his position, Xinhua reported. Prosecutors have also charged him with abusing his power, causing huge losses to public property.



Meanwhile Ji Jianye, former mayor of Jiangsu's capital Nanjing, has been accused of accepting bribes, according to the Supreme People's Procuratorate.



The statement indicated that the cases against Liao and Ji would be investigated by the provincial procuratorates in central Shaanxi and eastern Shandong, respectively, as trials against Chinese officials are held in regions other than those they previously governed.



Last week Liu Tienan, deputy head of the National Development and Reform Commission until his dismissal in August 2013, was jailed for life for taking bribes worth millions of dollars.



Chinese President Xi Jinping launched an anti-corruption campaign last year.



Earlier this month, criminal charges were brought against former security head Zhou Yongkang, the most senior Communist Party official to face trial for corruption.



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