Former Hangzhou official charged in first trial

Zhou Jiangyong, former Party chief of Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, was charged in his first trial on Thursday for taking bribes worth more than 193 million yuan ($27.88 million).

Zhou pleaded guilty and made a final statement at the Chuzhou Intermediate People's Court in Anhui Province. The court will issue its sentence later.

Prosecutors accused him of taking advantage of his former positions in Ningbo, Zhoushan, Wenzhou and Hangzhou as well as in his provincial positions to seek benefits for others in project construction, project contracting, land handling and other matters from 2001 to 2021.

In return, he, directly or through relatives, accepted money and property equivalent to about 193 million yuan.

The 56-year-old, a native of Zhejiang's Ningbo city, began working in 1985 and joined the Party in 1992. He served as Party chief in Zhoushan from 2015, in Wenzhou from 2017 and in Hangzhou from May 2018.

Zhou was placed under investigation for suspected serious violations of discipline and law in August 2021.