China's former railways minister Liu Zhijun went on trial on Sunday charged with corruption and abuse of power, state media said, in a case seen as demonstrating President Xi Jinping's resolve to crack down on graft.
State radio said the trial had begun at a Beijing courthouse under heavy security. If found guilty, Liu could face the death penalty or life in jail. Liu was formally charged in April with abuse of power, taking bribes and malpractice.
He took advantage of his position and helped 11 people to either get promotions or win contracts, accepting 64.6m yuan (£6.7m) in bribes between 1986 and 2011, the official Xinhua news agency reported.
While railways minister, Liu helped Ding Yuxin, the chairwoman of a Beijing investment company, and her relatives win cargo and railway construction contracts, "breaking regulations and playing favouritism" to allow Ding and her family to "reap huge profits", the report added.
"Liu's malpractices have led to huge losses of public assets and of the interests of the state and people, and he should be subject to criminal liabilities for bribe-taking and abuse of power," Xinhua said.
State television showed pictures of a downcast Liu standing in the dock answering questions and looking at a screen upon which evidence against him was being displayed.
The trial may be over quite quickly, judging by similar graft cases in the past, with a verdict likely due within the next two weeks.
While Xi has said anti-corruption efforts should target low-ranking "flies" as well as powerful "tigers", few high-ranking officials have been investigated since Xi became president in March.
China's railway system has faced numerous problems over the past few years, including heavy debts from funding new high-speed lines, waste and fraud. The government has pledged to open the rail industry to private investment on an unprecedented scale
