The public trial of Han Guizhi, another top official from China's northernmost Heilongjiang Province, started at the Beijing No.1 intermediate people's court Tuesday, the Beijing News reported.

Han is being charged for accepting bribes of more than 7 million yuan (US$875,000), taking advantage of her posts from 1999 to 2003.

All the illicit money and goods have been recovered, the paper said.

The court also confirmed Han had taken bribes from Ma De, former secretary of the municipal committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in Suihua City, Heilongjiang Province, the paper said.

Ma was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve for accepting bribes at Beijing No.2 Intermediate People's Court in July.

Together with Ma, Wang Shenyi, former deputy secretary of the municipal committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in Suihua City, was sentenced 15 years in prison for taking bribes.

Han Guizhi, former chairwoman of the Heilongjiang Provincial Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), was stripped of all her political positions last year upon the issuing of the charges against her.

In April, Han's case was transferred from Heilongjiang to Beijing.

Han had acted as deputy head of the Organization Department of the CPC Heilongjiang Provincial Committee, deputy secretary of the CPC Heilongjiang Provincial Committee and a member of the CPPCC National Committee.

She was expelled from the Party in October last year.

(Xinhua News Agency December 8, 2005)