Zhong Debiao, former standing member of the Yunfu Municipal Committee of the CPC went on trial in Guangzhou on Wednesday charged with taking bribes and being unable to explain the source of nearly 10 million yuan (US$1.21 million).

The procuratorate accused Zhong of obtaining almost 10 million yuan including HK$2.8 million and US$50,000 in the 10 years since 1994 when he worked as secretary of Luoding Municipal Committee of the CPC

His family income including his subsidies should have been no more than 600,000 yuan since he started work in 1971, the procuratorate said.

But Zhong told the court he inherited around 2 million yuan from his parents and won some of the money in lotteries.

The procuratorate also accused Zhong of taking bribes in the form of three apartments with a total market value of 1.2 million yuan in Shenzhen and Zhuhai by offering construction projects to a woman surnamed Lu from 1994 to 1998.

Zhong was also accused of taking bribes of 900,000 yuan to help the Luoding Railway Group issue enterprise bonds.

Zhong was also found to have had many mistresses.

Anonymous tip-offs led to his arrest in 2003.

The hearing is continuing.

(Shenzhen Daily December 10, 2004)