A tsar is torn

Lu Wei. Pic/AFP

China's former internet tsar Lu Wei on Friday pleaded guilty to accepting $4.6 million in bribes as the ruling Communist party initiated action against several officials for graft.

Lu, who headed China's powerful internet regulator Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), was accused of taking advantage of his positions to seek profits for others on matters such as network management and promotions.

He appeared in the Intermediate People's Court of Ningbo and admitted to the charges of accepting USD 4.6 million in bribes. The court heard Lu's crimes that spanned in his decades-long career at the state news agency Xinhua, the Beijing municipal party committee and government, the CAC and the party's Central Publicity Department.

Lu pleaded guilty to the charges and "expressed repentance", the court said, without setting a date for the sentencing. As Lu pleaded guilty to the charges, the ruling Communist party announced action against several officials in its campaign against corruption.

Hongwei's wife fears for his life
Grace Meng, the wife of former Interpol chief Meng Hongwei has expressed fears for his life and her own safety, lashing out at what she called the "cruel" and "dirty" Chinese government that arrested him. She said in a BBC interview, "I'm not sure he's alive. I tell (my children) daddy is on a long business trip."

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