Former Chinese agricultural minister prosecuted for bribery

A public prosecution has been initiated against Tang Renjian, former minister of agriculture and rural affairs of China, on bribery charges.

The case of Tang, also a former secretary of the agricultural ministry's leading Party members group, has been filed by prosecutors of the Changchun Municipal People's Procuratorate in northeast China's Jilin Province to the Intermediate People's Court of Changchun, the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP) announced on Thursday.

Tang is accused of taking advantage of his various former positions, including vice chairman of the people's government of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and governor of northwest China's Gansu Province, to secure profits for others, the SPP statement said.

According to the prosecutors, Tang accepted an extremely large amount of money and valuables in return.

The lawsuit follows the conclusion of an investigation by the National Commission of Supervision into the case of Tang.