A FORMER top Chinese economic planning official went on trial yesterday for taking bribes worth US$5.6 million, the latest episode in the country’s anti-corruption campaign.

    Liu Tienan, the former deputy director of the National Development and Reform Commission, was indicted for taking 35.58 million yuan (US$5.6) in bribes, said a statement posted by the Langfang Intermediate People’s Court in Hebei Province.

    Prosecutors called for penalties that could see Liu jailed for life, according to the statement on the court’s verified account on Sina Weibo, a Chinese equivalent of Twitter.

    Taking advantage of his position, Liu took bribes from various businesspeople in exchange for benefits such as project approvals and help in securing car dealerships, the statement said.

    The bribes were taken as cash and gifts for his son — including a villa in Beijing and a Porsche — and in other forms such as a job created for the son, according to the statement.

    The court updated trial proceedings on its Weibo account. According to one of the postings, Liu pleaded for leniency, arguing that he contributed to the anti-graft drive by “drawing on his personal experiences” to compile suggestions on how to prevent corruption.

    It added that he confessed to investigators he had received bribes worth nearly 19 million yuan, of which authorities were initially unaware.

    Allegations against Liu surfaced in 2012 when a certified journalist with investigative magazine Caijing accused him of fraud, graft and sending death threats on Weibo.

    Liu was placed under investigation last year and expelled from the Party.(SD-Agencies)