Former railways minister stands trial

BEIJING - China's former railways minister Liu Zhijun stood trial in a court in Beijing on Sunday on charges of bribery and abuse of power.

According to the indictment by the Second Branch of Beijing People's Procuratorate, Liu had taken advantage of his position and helped 11 people in promotion and wining project contracts, and accepted 64.6 million yuan ($10.53 million) in bribes from them between 1986 to 2011.

A screenshot from China's Central Television shows former railways minister Liu Zhijun standing trial in a court in Beijing on Sunday.

During his tenure as the railways minister, Liu helped Ding Yuxin and her relatives to win cargo transportation and railway construction contracts. He also helped Ding in the acquisition of shares in a company and with enterprise financing, by breaking regulations and playing favoritism, which allowed Ding Yuxin and her family to reap huge profits, according to the indictment.

Liu's malpractices have led to huge losses of public assets and of the interests of the state and people, and he should be subject to criminal liabilities for bribe taking and abuse of power, the indictment says.

About 50 people attended the trial, including Liu's family, journalists, legislators and political advisors.

The judgment will be announced on a day to be decided.

Liu, 60, became railways minister and the ministry's Party chief in March 2003.

He was removed from his position on suspicion of "serious disciplinary violations" in February 2011 and expelled from the Communist Party of China in 2012.

Liu's removal is also believed to be linked to the high-speed train collision in July 2011 that killed 40 passengers and injured 172 others. The tragedy has been blamed on improper management.