Zhong Ziran, former head of the China Geological Survey, a division of the Ministry of Natural Resources, pleaded guilty to accepting bribes and leaking State secrets while standing at trial in Ningbo, Zhejiang province, on Friday.

The Ningbo Intermediate People's Court publicly heard the bribe part of Zhong's case, but did not release details of the secret-related part in line with the law.

According to an indictment provided by the Ningbo prosecutors, Zhong, from 2011 to 2023, was found to have taken advantage of his positions in the division and ministry to seek benefits for some individuals and departments in various matters such as project contracting, business operation and work promotion, and then accepted bribes worth more than 23.56 million yuan ($3.21 million) in return.

Additionally, in 2019, Zhong was discovered to have handed over confidential documents to unauthorized individuals for reading and keeping, the prosecutors said, adding that Zhong should be criminally liable for the bribery and intentional leakage of State secrets.

During the trial, Zhong and his lawyer also shared their opinions to the evidence provided by the prosecutors.

The ruling will be announced at a later date.

More than 60 people, including national lawmakers, political advisers and journalists, attended the public case hearing.