The former director of the National Energy Administration pleaded guilty to graft charges at his one-day trial Wednesday. Liu Tienan is accused of accepting about RMB35.6 million (USD5.8 million) together with his son Liu Decheng, in return for favors granted to businesses.
“I have been asking myself each time I read the indictment, is this me? How did I end up like this? Every morning I wake up wondering where I am and how I have fallen to this state of depravation,” said a tearful Liu Tienan, according to the court script, which was updated live on Weibo by the Langfang City Intermediate Court.
Prosecutors called for penalties that could see Liu jailed for life, according to the statement on the court’s verified Weibo account. The court said the verdict would be announced at a later date.
Liu’s case first came under the spotlight in 2012 when a Chinese journalist accused Liu of fabricating his academic credentials, engaging in unscrupulous business deals and threatening to kill his mistress, who contacted the deputy editor of Caijing magazine.
Following President Xi Jinping’s vow to crack down on “tigers” and “flies”(top and lower-level officials), a number of corrupt officials have fallen, the biggest haul among whom so far is the former national security chief Zhou Yongkang, who is currently being investigated for "disciplinary violations."
0 User Comments