A former general manager of famous Chinese liquor maker Kweichow Moutai Co. Ltd went on trial on Tuesday in a local court facing bribery charges.

Prosecutors charged the former general manager Qiao Hong with accepting bribes worth 14.42 million yuan (2.1 million U.S. dollars) himself or together with brother Qiao Jianhua. They allegedly took the bribes to seek benefits for the company's suppliers, advertisers and dealers between 2000 and March 2007 when he worked in the company based in southwestern Guizhou Province.

Qiao also could not give legal source of his property worth 8.4 million yuan (1.22 million U.S. dollars), according to the Zunyi City Intermediate People's Court.

Qiao, who was arrested around last November, confessed to most of the alleged crimes at the court.

The trial lasted almost ten hours. The court will hand out the sentence on another date.

(Xinhua News Agency October 29, 2008)