Chinese archaeologist pleads guilty to bribery and embezzlement charges
Liu Bin admitted accepting bribes and embezzling funds while overseeing projects at the Liangzhu ruins. The court hearing took place in Zhejiang province on May 20.
South China Morning PostLiu Bin, a former Zhejiang University professor, pleaded guilty during a court hearing in Zhejiang on May 20 to charges of accepting bribes and embezzlement. The archaeologist discovered the Liangzhu ruins, a Unesco World Heritage site in eastern China’s Zhejiang province, and directed the Zhejiang Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology for many years.
Charges and amounts Prosecutors said Liu used his position between 2009 and 2021 to help organisations and individuals obtain contracts for cultural relics protection and archaeological surveys. He admitted receiving bribes totalling around 4.65 million yuan and diverting 300,000 yuan in research funding by inflating project costs.
Defence and repayment Liu’s defence team stated that he voluntarily confessed, showed remorse, and returned the full 4.9 million yuan obtained through bribes and embezzlement. The case was reported by Southern Weekly.
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