Former Chinese Vice Minister of Environment 'took bribes' of nearly half a million USD

On June 27, Beijing prosecutors accused a former Chinese vice minister of environment of accepting 2.4 million yuan (about 494,000 USD) in bribes.

Mr. Zhang Liju served as Vice Minister of the Ministry of Environment from 2008 to 2013. In July 2015, security agencies began investigating Mr. Zhang's suspected corruption and bribery.

Prosecutors said Zhang helped approve illegal projects and accepted bribes worth about 2.4 million yuan, Xinhua news agency reported.

(Illustration: KT).

The agency added that Mr. Zhang was allowed to speak in court and his defense team was cross-examined.

The Chinese Communist Party's corruption watchdog also accused Mr. Zhang of abusing his power to accept bribes.

The sentence of former Chinese Environment Minister Zhang Liju will be announced a day later, according to Xinhua.

In recent years, Chinese President Xi Jinping has launched an anti-corruption campaign. Many high-ranking Chinese officials and generals have been caught in the anti-corruption campaign over the past three years./.

According to VOV