Chinese official admits corruption

An official who led China’s biggest petroleum company and was later assigned to oversee state-owned companies has admitted in court he was guilty of corruption and abuse of power.

“My family property went far beyond what my legal income could afford,” said Jiang Jiemin, according to a statement posted on the microblog of the Hanjiang Intermediate People’s Court in Hubei. “I admit my crimes and express my regret.”

The hearing ended and a date for sentencing was not announced.

Jiang is a former chairman of the state-run China National Petroleum Corporation, or CNPC, which has been the target of a sweeping graft investigation.

Jiang was charged with taking bribes, possessing a large number of assets from unidentified sources and abusing his position at a state-owned enterprise. The court said prosecutors had presented evidence including witness statements, confessions and confiscated items, without giving details.

Jiang was chairman of CNPC, the parent company of PetroChina, Asia’s biggest oil producer, before being appointed in 2013 to the Cabinet body that oversees China’s biggest state-owned companies. He was fired in September 2013 after he came under investigation.