Former head of China's state railway indicted for bribery

BEIJING, Feb. 20 (Xinhua) -- Sheng Guangzu, former secretary of the leading Party members group and general manager of the formerly-named China Railway Corp., has been indicted on charges of taking bribes, the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP) said Monday.

According to the indictment, Sheng took advantage of his various posts, including head of the General Administration of Customs and member of the Standing Committee of the 12th National People's Congress, to seek gains for others and illegally accepted massive amounts of money and valuables in exchange.

The indictment also said that Sheng was found to have used his influence after leaving his posts to seek illegitimate benefits for others and accepted a massive amount of money and gifts in return.

The prosecution was brought by a procuratorate in the city of Baoji, Shaanxi Province, following the conclusion of an investigation into Sheng's case by the National Commission of Supervision and upon the designation of the SPP.

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

China Railway Corp. was renamed China State Railway Group Co., Ltd. in 2019.