3 senior officials charged with graft

Three senior officials, including the former governor of Fujian province, Su Shulin, have been charged with bribery, the top procuratorate said on Friday.

Su was charged with bribery and abuse of power, according to a release from the Supreme People's Procuratorate. Su was also former deputy secretary of the Fujian Committee of the Communist Party of China and general manager of Sinopec, China's leading oil company.

The indictment was delivered to the Second Intermediate People's Court of Shanghai by the second branch of the Shanghai People's Procuratorate, the SPP said.

Su took advantage of his posts to seek profits for others and accepted a large amount of property, it said. He was accused of abusing his power as general manager of Sinopec in the purchase of oilfields, causing great losses to the national interest, according to the release.

Lu Enguang, former head of the political division of the Ministry of Justice, was charged with offering bribes and with corporate bribery, the SPP said. The indictment was delivered to the Intermediate People's Court of Anyang, Henan province, by the Anyang people's procuratorate.

Lu is accused of offering significant amounts of money and gifts to officials to secure benefits for himself and the companies under his control, the release said.

Also, Wang Yincheng, former president of the People's Insurance Company of China, a State-owned enterprise, has been charged with taking bribes, the SPP said.

Wang had used his leading positions at the company to secure large bribes from others and to seek illegal benefits for the bribers, the release said.

The indictment was delivered to the Intermediate People's Court in Fuzhou, Fujian province, by the Fuzhou People's Procuratorate, according to the SPP.

An earlier statement from the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, the country's top anti-graft watchdog, accused Wang of engaging in "superstitious" activities and leading an extravagant lifestyle.

The prosecutors have informed all three defendants of their litigation rights and listened to their lawyers' opinions, according to the SPP.

Also on Friday, local discipline authorities in Hubei province announced a probe of Li Zhong, vice-mayor of Wuhan, the provincial capital. Li is suspected of serious violations of disciplines and laws. No details were released.

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