Former Bank of Communications VP prosecuted for bribe taking

Hou Weidong, former vice-president of China's Bank of Communications, has been prosecuted on charges of accepting bribes, the Supreme People's Procuratorate said on Thursday.

The case was investigated by the National Commission of Supervision before being transferred to prosecutors for review and prosecution.

After the SPP designated the case to Chongqing prosecutors, the Chongqing Municipal People's Procuratorate approved Hou's arrest on suspicion of bribery. The Fifth Branch of the Chongqing Municipal People's Procuratorate recently filed charges against him with the Chongqing No 5 Intermediate People's Court.

Prosecutors said Hou took advantage of positions he held at Bank of Communications, including chief information officer, general manager of the information technology management department, member of the bank's Party committee and vice-president.

He also served as chairman of BoCommLife Insurance Company, the predecessor of BOCOM MSIG Life Insurance Company, while holding senior positions at the bank.

Prosecutors allege that Hou used his positions to seek benefits for others and illegally accepted an especially large amount of money and valuables in return.

During the review and prosecution process, prosecutors informed Hou of his legal rights, questioned him and heard opinions from his defense counsel.

Hou, 66, a native of Shandong province, served as chief information officer of Bank of Communications from 2004. He became vice-president in 2010 and ceased concurrently serving as chief information officer in 2017.

He also served as chairman of BoCommLife Insurance from 2014 to 2018 and became an executive director of Bank of Communications in 2015. He retired in April 2020.

Hou was placed under investigation in October 2025 and expelled from the Communist Party of China in May this year.

Anti-graft authorities previously said Hou resisted organizational investigation, engaged in superstitious activities, accepted banquets and travel arrangements in violation of relevant rules, borrowed large sums of money from people under his management or service, and sought benefits for others in employee recruitment and promotions.

Authorities said Hou used his authority over the allocation of financial technology resources for personal gain, engaged in power-for-money deals and used his positions to help others secure project contracts and financing in exchange for large sums of money and valuables.