China's former railways minister, Liu Zhijun, attends a trial for charges of corruption and abuse of power at a courthouse in Beijing.
China’s former Railways Minister Liu Zhijun accepted $10.53 million in bribes between 1986 to 2011, and used his influence to help 11 officials in local railway bureaus win promotions, project deals and cargo transportation contracts. For his crimes, he received a suspended death sentence in April. Liu, who oversaw one of China’s biggest infrastructure projects, was also accused of sexual misconduct by the Chinese Communist Party after it emerged that he was juggling 18 mistresses. After the tragic Wenzhou train collision in July 2011, which killed 40 passengers, a government report chalked up responsibility for the tragedy to Liu’s poor leadership.
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