File photo of Nie Chunyu, former secretary-general of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Shanxi Provincial Committee [Photo: jsycjw.gov.cn]

NANJING, March 24 -- A former senior official in Shanxi Province pleaded guilty on Thursday to taking bribes worth 44.58 million yuan (6.8 million U.S. dollars).

Nie Chunyu, former secretary-general of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Shanxi Provincial Committee, accepted the bribes from37 people in return for helping secure them promotions or favor for their companies, according to the indictment from the Nantong municipal people's procuratorate, Jiangsu Province.

Nie was ousted from the CPC in February 2015 after an internal probe found he accepted bribes and committed adultery.

The court did not announce the verdict immediately after the trial,which was open to the public and journalists.