Wang Zhaoyao, former deputy secretary of the Provincial Communist Party of China (CPC) Committee of east China's Anhui Province, went on trial on Wednesday.

He stands accused of graft amounting to over 7 million yuan (US$893,000) and mishandling property worth more than 8 million yuan (US$1.02 million).

Wang also used his position for nepotism, promoting his wife and her brothers to senior positions in local government departments.

The Jinan Intermediate People's Court started the trial at 8:30 AM in Jinan, capital of Shandong Province. The prosecution accused Wang on more than 40 counts of wrongdoing and the trial should last all day.

Wang, 62, had served as secretary of the Suxian and Fuyang prefecture level CPC committees, before being deputy governor of Anhui and deputy secretary of the Anhui Provincial CPC Committee.

He was a deputy to the 10th National People's Congress (NPC), but was expelled from the national legislative body in August 2005 for serious breaches of discipline.

(Xinhua News Agency November 29, 2006)