Ex-justice minister Fu pleads guilty to bribe-taking, abuse of power

Fu Zhenghua, former minister of justice, pleaded guilty to taking bribes and abusing power during a court hearing held in Changchun, capital city of Jilin province, on Thursday.

The Intermediate People's Court of Changchun heard his case in the first instance on Thursday. The section about his taking bribes was heard publicly, while the section about his abuse of power was held in private as it involved State secrets.

Prosecutors said that from 2005 to 2021, Fu capitalized on his various posts, including the head of the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau, vice-minister of public security, minister of justice and deputy head of the Committee on Social and Legal Affairs of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference to illegally help units and individuals in areas such as business operation, position adjustment and case handling.

In return, he accepted money and properties, directly or through his relatives, amounting to a total of about 117 million yuan ($17.4 million).

Besides, from 2014 to 2015, when Fu was the head of the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau, he concealed clues to his younger brother Fu Weihua's suspected serious crimes and did not deal with them in accordance with the law. As a result, Fu Weihua was not prosecuted for a long time, and the circumstances were particularly serious, said the prosecutors.

Therefore, the procuratorate requested that Fu Zhenghua be held criminally responsible for the crime of accepting bribes and perverting the law for personal gain.

Fu Zhenghua, 67, a native of Hebei province, worked in various positions in China's public security and judicial systems for many years. He became head of the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau in 2010, and was appointed vice-minister of public security in 2013.

He was placed under investigation for suspected severe violations of discipline and the law in October 2021. The top Procuratorate approved Fu's arrest in April.

The Supreme People's Procuratorate said in a statement that the Changchun People's Procuratorate initiated the prosecution of Fu in July.