China’s former police vice-minister Sun Lijun pleads guilty to bribery, stocks fraud
- Sun, 53, is accused of taking more than 646 million yuan in bribes, stock market manipulation and illegal firearms possession
- Changchun Intermediate People’s Court adjourns case to later date for sentencing
He was accused of taking bribes worth more than 646 million yuan (US$96.4 million) in exchange for business favours, government jobs and promotions, and handling criminal cases, the Changchun Intermediate People’s Court in northeastern Jilin province heard on Friday.
The bribe-taking started in 2001, when he was an official with the Shanghai health bureau, and continued throughout his career, including as senior official of the Shanghai government’s Foreign Affairs Office, and various posts within the Ministry of Public Security up to vice-minister, prosecutors said at the first hearing, according to state news agency Xinhua.
In April 2020, the Communist Party’s disciplinary watchdog announced that Sun had been placed under investigation for serious violations. He was sacked and expelled from the party last year.
In 2018, at the request of others, Sun had given orders for actions that influenced stock trading prices and volumes, the court heard.
“The details of the crime were particularly serious,” prosecutors said.
Sun also violated arms control protocols by illegally possessing two guns.
