Five Chinese officials probed for corruption

BEIJING - Five Chinese officials have been prosecuted or probed for bribe-taking, the Supreme People's Procuratorate said in a statement on Wednesday.

Local prosecutors have filed lawsuits against Hu Guochu, former director of the Hengyang Municipal People's Congress Standing Committee, Zuo Huiling and Liao Jiesheng, former deputy directors of the Standing Committee, for suspected dereliction of duty and bribe-taking.

A local court in South China's Guangdong province has filed a lawsuit against Cui Renquan, former head of the Guangzhou Municipal Human Resources and Social Security Bureau, for suspected abuse of power and bribe-taking.

Prosecutors in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region have investigated and taken "coercive measures" against Peng Zhenhua, former deputy director of the region's afforestation committee, for suspected bribe-taking.