Senior CPPCC official charged for bribery

Bi Jingquan, former senior official of China's top political advisory body, has been officially charged by Shandong prosecutors on alleged bribery, the country's top procuratorate announced on Tuesday.

According to the Supreme People's Procuratorate, Bi's case was concluded by the National Commission of Supervision and transferred to prosecuting authorities for further review and prosecution. Prosecutors in Jinan, capital of Shandong, are designated to handle the case and they have recently filed an indictment with the Jinan Intermediate People's Court.

The Jinan prosecutors alleged that Bi took advantage of his positions — including head of the National Medical Products Administration, deputy head of the State Administration for Market Regulation, and deputy head of the Committee on Economic Affairs with the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference — to seek benefits for others and accepted large amounts of money and valuables in return.

The prosecutors said that Bi should be held criminally responsible for bribery. They also noted that they informed Bi of his legal rights during the review and prosecution process and took into consideration the opinions of his lawyers.

Bi, 70, a native of Heilongjiang province, joined the Communist Party of China in March 1978 and began his career in February 1982. Over the years, he held various posts in the former price bureau, the National Development and Reform Commission, the National Medical Products Administration, and the State Administration for Market Regulation.

In August 2020, he started his work at the Committee on Economic Affairs under the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, the country's top political advisory body. Later, he also took on key roles at the China Center for International Economic Exchanges.