Former senior provincial official stands trial for graft, sheltering mafia-like gangs

Wang Like, a former senior Party official in east China's Jiangsu Province, stood trial Friday at the Intermediate People's Court of Changchun City in northeast China's Jilin Province.

Wang, formerly a member of the Standing Committee of the Jiangsu Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China and head of the commission for political and legal affairs of the provincial Party committee, was accused of taking and offering bribes, harboring and conniving mafia-like organizations, and forging identity documents.

He took the advantage of his various former positions to help others in business operation, securing loans, legal cases and other matters, in return for which he illegally accepted money and gifts worth 440 million yuan (about 65.65 million US dollars), according to prosecutors.

Wang also offered bribes worth over 97.31 million yuan to other people including former vice minister of public security Sun Lijun, prosecutors said

The prosecutors, the defendant and his lawyers cross-examined evidence and gave their respective accounts.

In his final statement, Wang pleaded guilty and expressed remorse.

The verdict will be announced in due course.