Former provincial officials indicted for corruption

Zhang Yue, Chen Xuefeng and Wang Yang, former provincial-level officials in Hebei, Henan and Liaoning respectively, have been indicted for graft in three separate cases.

The Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP) said in a statement Friday that it had designated the provincial procuratorate of Jiangsu to investigate Zhang, a former member of the standing committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Hebei Provincial Committee. After the investigation, the case was transferred to prosecutors in Jiangsu's city of Changzhou for the indictment.

Zhang is suspected of taking advantage of his various posts to seek benefits for others in addition to accepting a huge amount of money and gifts.

The provincial procuratorate of Hubei was designated by the SPP to investigate Chen, a former member of the standing committee of the CPC Henan Provincial Committee.

Local prosecutors in Hubei's Jingzhou alleged that Chen has taken advantage of his posts to seek benefits for others and had extorted or accepted a huge amount of bribes.

Chen was also accused of embezzlement. Another count involves Chen's alleged abuse of power and arbitrary disposal of state assets, which have been linked to huge losses to the country's interests.

Wang, former deputy head of the Standing Committee of Liaoning Provincial People's Congress, was accused by Daqing procuratorate in Heilongjiang Province of taking advantage of his posts to seek benefits for others, accepting bribes and sabotaging an election.

The SPP statement said the defendants had been informed of their rights, and prosecutors have questioned the defendants and listened to their lawyers' opinions. Endi