Former tobacco deputy chief found guilty of bribery of 943 million yuan

He Zehua, former deputy chief of China's State Tobacco Monopoly Administration, pleaded guilty of accepting bribes worth more than 943 million yuan ($130 million) while standing at trial in Liaoning province.

The case was publicly heard by the Dalian Intermediate People's Court in the province on Friday.

Prosecutors in Dalian said during the trial that from 1998 to 2023, He made use of his various work posts in the country's tobacco system to seek benefits for relevant people and departments in business operations, business contracting, job promotion and employment. In return, he illegally received bribes of over 943 million yuan.

After he left his work posts, he was also found to have sought profits for individuals and organizations in tobacco-related business contracting and bank solicitation, and then took bribes of more than 1.47 million in return, according to the prosecutors.

They provided evidence to prove He's bribery to the court, while He and his lawyer also shared their opinions on the offense. At the end of the trial, He made a statement, pleading guilty of the crime.

The court said that the ruling will be announced at a later date.

More than 30 people, including national lawmakers, political advisers and journalists, attended the case hearing on Friday.