Chen Yuxiang, who formerly served as a deputy head of Hebei's discipline inspection commission and provincial commission of supervision, was accused of accepting substantial bribes during a first-instance trial on Tuesday by the intermediate people's court of Lianyungang in Jiangsu province.

Chen was accused of abusing various positions he held from 2001 to November 2023 to provide assistance to relevant units and individuals in project contracting, enterprise operations and case handling, and illegally accepted more than 30 million yuan ($4.1 million) in bribes directly or through others, according to the Lianyungang municipal people's procuratorate.

The procuratorate recommended holding Chen criminally responsible for the crime of bribery.

Chen, who was arrested in July, pleaded guilty and expressed remorse in court.

A verdict will be announced at a later date.