Former top Anhui official on bribery charges

Ni Fake, former vice-governor of Anhui province, who is suspected of receiving jade worth 12 million yuan ($1.94 million), has been charged with taking bribes, the Supreme People's Procuratorate said on Monday.

Ni was also accused of owning a large number of properties that he couldn't explain, the SPP said.

The case was moved to the Intermediate People's Court in Dongying, Shandong province, with a hearing date to be set later.

Prosecutors in Dongying allege that when Ni was serving as the Party chief of Lu'an, Anhui province, from 2002 to 2008, and then as vice-governor of Anhui province until his retirement in January 2013, he used his position to reap huge financial rewards, including interests in real estate and coal mining enterprises. He also accepted a large number of bribes directly or through relatives, they say.

Ni's family property holdings and spending went far beyond his legal income, and he couldn't reasonably explain how he got the property, they said.

"During the investigation, prosecutors notified Ni of his legal rights in a timely manner, interrogated him and listened for his lawyer's defense to fully protect his legitimate rights," according to a statement provided by prosecutors in Dongying.

According to China Youth Daily, apart from serving as the vice-governor in Anhui province, Ni nominated himself as honorary president of the provincial jewelry association. The jade he is said to have received accounts for 70 percent of his alleged bribery take, prosecutors say.

In June, Ni was placed under investigation, just five months after his retirement as vice-governor. In October he was ousted from the Communist Party of China.

Prosecutors say Ni confessed to an anti-graft officer of the Anhui Provincial Discipline Inspection Department, saying his hobby was collecting precious jade, and that became a backdoor way for some enterprises to offer bribes.

Since 2001 other provincial-level governmental officials from Anhui province have been stripped of their posts, including Wang Huaizhong, former vice-governor, and Wang Zhaoyao, former vice-president of the provincial political advisory organ, according to Xinhua News Agency.

"They were capable and competent for handling the work, but they all faced corruption allegations because of their strong personal desires," the Xinhua report said.

Hong Daode, a law professor at China University of Political Science and Law said that the government and judicial organs will use more systematic measures to fight corruption, including measures to freeze assets.

zhangyan1@chinadaily.com.cn