Retired China Railway Chief Pleads Guilty to Taking $8.4 Million of Bribes

What’s new: Sheng Guangzu, a former top official overseeing China’s vast railway system, pleaded guilty to taking more than 60 million yuan ($8.4 million) in bribes.

Sheng, 74, stood trial Thursday in Baoji, northwestern China’s Shaanxi province, on bribery charges.

Prosecutors accused Sheng of taking 56.7 million yuan of bribes between 2004 and 2022, using his power in the railway system to seek business and promotion benefits for others. Separately, Sheng was charged with taking more than 7 million yuan of bribes through others between 2015 and 2022, according to prosecutors.