Shang Liguang, former deputy secretary of the Communist Party of China Shanxi Provincial Committee, pleaded guilty to bribery while standing trial in Luoyang, Henan province, on Thursday.

According to the indictment, Shang, from 1999 to 2023, took advantage of his various positions, including the mayor of Qinhuangdao in Hebei province, and deputy secretary of CPC Shanxi Provincial Committee, to seek profits for relevant departments and individuals in various matters, such as business operation, project contracting, case handling and work promotions as well as accepting bribes worth more than 104 million yuan ($14.62 million) in return.

Prosecutors from Luoyang said that Shang should be held criminally liable for the bribery, with the necessary evidence submitted to the Luoyang Intermediate People's Court.

Shang and his lawyer shared opinions on the evidence during the trial, and Shang confessed to the crime in his final statement.

The court said that the verdict will be announced at a later date.

More than 50 people, including national lawmakers and political advisers, attended the case hearing.

Public information shows that Shang, 60, a native of Hebei, began his career in 1981 and joined the Party in 1984.

He worked in Hebei from 1981 to June 2017, and then he went to Shanxi. There he became the deputy secretary of the CPC Shanxi Provincial Committee in October 2021.

In September 2023, he was placed under disciplinary and supervisory investigation.

In February, he was expelled from the Party and dismissed from public office.

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