Update | Fallen Chinese political star Sun Zhengcai admits taking US$27m in bribes
Sun pleads guilty to the charges in a half-day court hearing in Tianjin, nine months after being sacked as Communist Party boss of megacity Chongqing
Former political high-flyer Sun Zhengcai, who was once tipped to be among the next generation of Chinese leaders, pleaded guilty in a court in northern China on Thursday to taking 170 million yuan (US$27 million) in bribes.
The Tianjin First Intermediate People’s Court said in a statement that Sun, a former member of China’s Politburo, admitted taking the bribes, quoting him as saying that he “had only himself to blame”.
The court adjourned after the half-day hearing and said it would hand down a verdict and sentence at an unspecified date, Xinhua reported.
Sun, 54, was sacked as Communist Party boss of the megacity Chongqing in July and placed under investigation for corruption in the run-up to the party’s national leadership reshuffle in October.
Prosecutors accused Sun of taking advantage of his position to seek profits for others and of illegally accepting 170 million yuan in assets, directly or via his designated parties, Xinhua reported.
The prosecutors said the charges related to crimes he allegedly committed during his time as a district party boss in Beijing in 2002, while he was minister of agriculture, and his stints as party chief in northeastern Jilin province and Chongqing.
