Former Sichuan official faces graft prosecution

BEIJING - A public prosecution was initiated on Monday against former Sichuan Province official Guo Yongxiang, who is accused of taking bribes, according to the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP).

The SPP has finished its investigation into Guo, who is also accused of holding a large amount of property with unidentified sources. The SPP designated Yichang Municipal People's Procuratorate in Hubei Province to initiate the prosecution to Yichang Intermediate People's Court.

Prosecutors informed Guo of his litigation rights during the stage of review and prosecution, and questioned the defendant, as well as listened to his lawyer's opinions, said a statement of the SPP.

According to the indictment, Guo sought benefits and illegally accepted a huge amount of property from other individuals by taking advantage of his post. His property and expenditure obviously exceeded his legal income, and he could not explain how he came by the money.

Guo used to head the Sichuan provincial federation of literacy and art circles. Before that, he served as deputy secretary general and secretary general of the Sichuan provincial committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), as a member of the standing committee of the CPC Sichuan provincial committee, vice governor of Sichuan, and deputy head of the standing committee of the Sichuan provincial people's congress.

He is among a number of high-ranking officials to fall in China's anti-graft campaign. He was stripped of CPC membership and expelled from public office in April last year and has been under investigation since June 2013.