Li Pengxin, a former senior official of Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, pleaded guilty to charges of accepting bribes totaling over 822 million yuan ($112 million) on Thursday.

Li, who formerly served as deputy secretary of Xinjiang’s regional committee of the Communist Party of China, faced his bribery case trial at the Intermediate People’s Court in Baoji, Shaanxi province.

He was charged with using his positions in Qinghai province, the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, and Xinjiang from 1999 to 2023 to provide assistance to others in matters such as mineral exploration, business operations, and official appointments. It was alleged that he directly or through intermediaries illegally accepted over 822 million yuan in bribes in return.

He was expelled from the Party and dismissed from public office over serious violations of Party discipline and laws in June.

Li, 65, is a native of Shanxi province. He started his career in 1977 and joined the Party in 1984.

He worked in Qinghai from 1977 to 2011, in positions that included Party chief of Haixi Mongolian and Tibetan autonomous prefecture and the head of the Commission for Political and Legal Affairs of the CPC Qinghai provincial committee.

From October 2011 to September 2016, he served as the head of the Organization Department of the CPC committee in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region.

He later started working in Xinjiang, serving as deputy secretary of its CPC committee and head of Xinjiang’s education work committee till July 2021.