Ex-Hebei Party head admits accepting $5.8m in bribes

Zhou Benshun, former Party chief of Hebei province, has pleaded guilty to taking bribes of more than 40 million yuan ($5.8 million), according to a court statement issued on Wednesday. A sentence is to be handed down later.

The case was heard at the Xiamen Intermediate People's Court in Fujian province on Wednesday morning.

Between July 2000 and June 2013, he served as a leader in Hunan and Hebei provinces and on the Commission for Political and Legal Affairs of the CPC Central Committee.

During that period, he took advantage of his position to facilitate bank loans for some companies, as well as easy assess to property development and promotions, according to the court.

It added that from 2003 to 2015, Zhou had received illegal gains of 40.02 million yuan from eight companies and individuals directly or indirectly through his wife Duan Yanqiu and his son Zhou Jing.

The companies accused of bribing Zhou included the Hunan Tongli Real Estate Co and Hunan Tieyin Real Estate Development Co, the statement said.

Zhou was placed under investigation of corruption charges in October 2015. He was expelled from the Party.

Since China's anti-corruption campaign shifted into higher gear, following the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in late 2012, many corrupt senior officials have been exposed and investigated.

The stories of former high-profile senior officials accused of corruption were broadcast in a recent documentary produced by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and China Central Television.

It showed Zhou Benshun had used ill-gotten gains to finance a life of luxury, including hiring two chefs recruited from his hometown in Hunan and two nannies to tend to his family in their 800-square-meter villa. One nanny's sole responsibility was to take care of his pets.