Former official pleads guilty to graft

Chen Jiadong, former director of the standing committee of Xiamen people's congress of Fujian province, pleaded guilty to embezzlement, abusing power and taking bribes of 94.15 million yuan ($13 million) at Nanchang Intermediate People's Court of Jiangxi province on Thursday.

The court will release its verdict later.

According to the indictment from Nanchang People's Procuratorate, from 2000 to 2022, Chen made use of different positions, including as mayor of Ningde, Party chief of Zhangzhou and director of the standing committee of Xiamen people's congress to assist certain companies and individuals in matters such as approving the right to use forest land and contract tendering.

In return, he received money and property worth 94.15 million yuan.

From 2013 to 2014, when he was serving as Party chief of Zhangzhou, he abused his power for personal gain and overpaid property developers for projects, resulting in losses of more than 190 million yuan of State-owned property.

Later, while still Zhangzhou's Party chief from 2015 to 2017, Chen embezzled more than 3.41 million yuan of State-owned property together with others.

Chen, 63, a native of Fujian, began working in 1981 and joined the Party in 1986.

He spent almost all his career in Fujian, except for one stint in Nyingchi of the Tibet autonomous region from July 2001 to July 2004.

He was subject to disciplinary inspection and supervisory review in February last year.

Half a year later, he was expelled from the Party and removed from public posts over serious violations of laws and disciplines.