The high-profile trial of the most senior cadre snared in Chongqing's crackdown on gang-related crime began yesterday.
Wen Qiang , 55, the former head of the municipality's Justice Bureau, showed up in black yesterday morning at Chongqing No 5 Intermediate People's Court for a trial expected to last five days.
Also a former deputy police chief in Chongqing, he was charged with rape, covering up organised crime, taking about 16 million yuan (HK$18.17 million) in bribes and being unable to explain the source of another 10 million yuan.
Mainland media, citing government insiders, have speculated that he is likely to be sentenced to death.
In a sign of the intense public interest in the case, Wen's trial has attracted more than 70 national and regional media outlets, many of them carrying live reports. Most mainland news websites updated reports every few minutes yesterday, including quotes from Wen and prosecutors.
The prosecution said about 60 per cent of the bribes taken by Wen were related to attempts to secure official positions.
Wen admitted taking some bribes but denied the charges of rape and covering up organised crime.