Former Chinese minister given suspended death sentence

A Chinese court has given former Railways Minister Liu Zhijun a suspended death sentence for bribery and abuse of power, state media report.

Liu was accused of accepting bribes totalling over 64m yuan ($10m; £6m) over 25 years.

This is the first high-profile corruption trial since Xi Jinping became president in March 2013.

Mr Xi has vowed to crack down on corruption, warning officials against 'taking bribes'.

'Malpractice'

Liu was convicted by court in the capital Beijing on Monday, state-run Xinhua news agency said.

Suspended death sentences are normally commuted to life imprisonment in China.

Liu was suspended from the Communist Party last May, following allegations that he embezzled funds and received bribes when handing out contracts for China's high-speed rail project.

During the trial, prosecutors argued that he had he helped 11 people win contracts and promotions in return for bribes.

The indictment reportedly said that Liu's 'malpractice' led to 'huge losses of public assets and damage to the interests of the state and people'.

Liu began his tenure as railways minister in 2003 and led a multi-billion dollar investment programme in the rail network.

He was dismissed from his ministerial post in February 2011 after the authorities launched an investigation into 'serious disciplinary violations'.

China's high-speed railway network, said to be the largest in the world, has also been plagued with safety scandals involving a series of accidents.

A fatal collision of high speed trains in July 2011 caused a national outcry.

In March, China dissolved the railways ministry in a raft of measures aimed at boosting government efficiency and tackling corruption, placing its functions under the transport ministry.