Former senior municipal political advisor pleads guilty to bribery

Ji Binchang, a former senior municipal political advisor in Qingdao, Shandong province, pleaded guilty to taking more than 526 million yuan ($72.9 million) in bribes at a court in Wuxi, Jiangsu province, on Thursday.

From 2003 to 2022, Ji was found to have taken advantage of his various work posts, including deputy head of the Shandong Provincial State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, and vice-governor of Shandong, to seek profits for individuals and departments in business operations, project contracting and employment, and then accepted bribes in return, according to the Wuxi prosecutors.

The amount of Ji's bribes exceeded 526 million yuan, the prosecutors said, adding that he should be held criminally liable for bribery.

Ji and his lawyer also weighed in on the prosecutors' evidence during the trial, and Ji confessed to the crime, according to the Wuxi Intermediate People's Court.

With more than 30 people attending the case hearing, the court said it will announce the ruling at a later date.

Ji, 60, a native of Shandong, joined the Communist Party of China in 1985 and started his job in 1986. After graduating from Sichuan University, he returned to Shandong and had been working in the province ever since.

In April 2022, he became the chairman of the Qingdao Municipal Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.

In January last year, he was placed under investigation for suspected severe violations of the Party discipline and the law.

About 10 months later, he was prosecuted for taking bribes by the Wuxi prosecutors.