Former vice police chief on trial for bribery

TIANJIN - Li Dongsheng, former vice minister of the Public Security Ministry, went on trial for bribe-taking in north China's Tianjin Municipality on Wednesday.

The Tianjin People's Procuratorate accused Li of taking advantage of several government posts he held between 1996 and 2013 to seek profits for organizations and individuals through processes including acquiring bids and job transfers.

During the period, Li's positions also included deputy president of state broadcaster CCTV and membership of the Commission for Political and Legal Affairs of the Communist Party of China Central Committee.

He directly or through relatives received 21.98 million yuan (3.46 million U.S. dollars) in assets and bribes between 2007 and 2013, according to the procuratorate, which said he should be held criminally responsible.

A verdict will be announced at a later day, said the Second Intermediate People's Court of Tianjin, which heard the case.

This is the latest in a series of trials of former high-ranking officials netted in China's anti-corruption campaign. Jiang Jiemin, former head of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, was sentenced to 16 years in prison on Monday. Wang Yongchun, a senior energy executive, received 20 years in prison on Tuesday. The corruption trial of Ji Wenlin, former vice governor of Hainan Province, also opened on Tuesday.

Li was put under investigation in late 2013.