Former Supreme Court judge pleads guilty to bribes

Zheng Xuelin, former chief judge of No 1 Civil Adjudication Tribunal of China's Supreme People's Court, the country's top court, pleaded guilty to taking bribes of over 46.79 million yuan ($6.6 million) while standing trial in Shanxi province on Friday.

From 2004 to 2022, Zheng was found to have made use of his various work positions in the top court, including deputy chief judge of the Case Filing Tribunal, chief judge of the Adjudication Tribunal for Environment and Resources and deputy head of the Second Circuit Court, to seek profits for some individuals and departments in matters such as case handling and job adjustment, and then accepted bribes of more than 35.29 million yuan in return, according to prosecutors from Taiyuan, Shanxi.

After retirement, Zheng continued to utilize the convenience afforded by his former roles to pursue illegitimate interests for others in case handling between March and September 2023 and accepting 11.5 million in return, the prosecutors said.

Providing evidence, the prosecutors added that Zheng should be held criminally liable for the crime of bribery.

Zheng and his lawyer also shared opinions during the trial, with Zheng confessing to the crime at the end of the case hearing.

The verdict will be announced at a later date, the court said.

More than 20 people, including national lawmakers, political advisers and journalists, attended the case hearing.

Zheng, 62, a native of Henan province, graduated from the China University of Political Science and Law, and started his career in 1986. He worked for the country's judiciary system for decades.

He was placed under investigation in September last year for suspected serious violations of the Party disciplines and national laws. In June, he was indicted on the charge of bribery.