A FORMER official in Longang District stood trial in Shenzhen Intermediate People’s Court on Monday for allegedly taking bribes of 8 million yuan (US$1.2 million) and abusing power while fostering business connections for his mistress, who amassed 7 million yuan.

    Zhuang Rongyu, former director of the Garbage Monitoring Center with the Longgang District Urban Management Bureau, and his mistress, Wang Zhaohui, stood trial. According to prosecutors, Zhuang and Wang are both aged 52 and natives of Puning, Guangdong Province.

    Wang came to Shenzhen in 2008 and Zhuang arranged for her to work at the Shenzhen Zhonglian Renewable Resources Co., which contracted business with the Pinghu Garbage Incineration Power Plant in 2005. The garbage treatment power plant is monitored by the center. Wang became deputy office director of the Longgang Investment Management Co. in 2010.

    Zhuang also allegedly gave her 2 million yuan in cash and helped her set up the Yixingyu Cleaning Service Co. in 2008 and another cleaning company in 2011. The two companies were contracted to clean garbage trucks for the Pinghu Garbage Incineration Power Plant. Between September 2008 and June 2015, Wang made 7 million yuan through the two companies. Zhuang was also charged with taking bribes of 8.1 million yuan between January 2008 and June 2012 from Liu Xiaochuan, a manager with the Shenzhen Rongcheng Cleaning Service Co. in exchange for offering a garbage landfill business to Liu. Zhuang admitted to taking 500,000 yuan from Liu.

    Zhuang denied abuse of power, though he admitted that he gave the garbage truck cleaning business contract to Wang. Wang and Zhuang had given back 2.46 million yuan. The Longgang Party disciplinary inspection commission began investigating Zhang in July last year. (Han Ximin)