Former deputy head of State Administration of Grain indicted for graft

BEIJING, April 7 (Xinhua) -- Xu Ming, former deputy head of the State Administration of Grain, has been indicted on charges of taking bribery and abuse of power, the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP) said Thursday.

Prosecutors accused Xu of taking advantage of his various positions, including posts at the Ministry of Commerce, Chongqing Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China and the then State Administration of Grain, to seek benefits for others, and in return accepting a huge amount of money and gifts.

The indictment also said that Xu was found to have accepted a huge amount of money and gifts using his influence after leaving his posts in Chongqing.

The prosecution was brought by the procuratorate of the city of Xiamen, Fujian Province, upon the designation of the SPP following the closure of a probe by the National Commission of Supervision.

Prosecutors had informed the defendant of his litigation rights, interrogated him and listened to the defense counsel's opinions, the SPP said.