1st LD-Writethru: Former police head stands trial for graft

A former police officer in charge of a case where a teenager was wrongfully executed for a murder he did not commit, stood trial for taking bribes and illegal weapon possession on Monday.

According to a local procuratorate in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Feng Zhiming, former deputy director of the city Public Security Bureau of Hohhot, the regional capital, was accused of taking advantage of his position and accepted bribes of over 4.5 million yuan (680,000 U.S. dollars).

Additionally, Feng could not explain the source of property worth more than 34 million yuan, which far exceeded his legal income. He also had four unauthorized firearms and 549 bullets, the procuratorate said.

Huugjilt, the wrongfully executed teenager, was found guilty of raping and killing a woman in a public toilet in Hohhot in 1996 and was executed 61 days after the murder. Feng headed a special team to investigate Huugjilt's case.

A serial rapist and murderer, Zhao Zhihong confessed to the killing in 2005 and was given a death sentence in 2015.

On Dec. 15, 2014, the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Regional Higher People's Court exonerated Huugjilt, ruling that he was not guilty of rape and murder, as the facts of his case were unclear and evidence inadequate.

Investigations against Feng started two days after the exoneration. Endi