Guangdong village head admits taking bribes

GUANGZHOU - A former Communist Party of China chief of Wukan Village in south China's Guangdong Province has admitted to accepting bribes, according to a local procuratorate Tuesday.

Lin Zulian, also former head of Wukan, admitted that he had taken money from village livelihood and procurement projects, said Shanwei City procurator-general Yuan Huaiyu.

In a video released by the procuratorate, Lin said, "due to my negligence and ignorance of our laws, I accepted bribes from those involved in livelihood and procurement projects, which is my biggest criminal offense. I confess this to the procuratorate."

According to Yuan, officials in Lufeng City received information about Lin's alleged bribery.

The procuratorate opened an official investigation Friday following a three month initial investigation.

Prosecutors said the amount of bribes was substantial, without giving a specific figure.

Home to 13,000 residents, Wukan was thrown into the international spotlight in 2011 when residents protested for months against the village committee's illegal land grabs, corruption, violations of financing and election rules. Lin was appointed the new CPC chief of the village after the event.