HANGZHOU - He Jiacheng, former vice president of the Chinese Academy of Governance, stood trial Friday for taking bribes.

He was accused of taking advantage of his official positions from 1995 to 2014 to help others in business and with promotions.

He accepted bribes worth 7.1 million yuan (around $1.03 million) either himself or through his relatives, according the People's Procuratorate of Ningbo City in eastern China's Zhejiang Province.

The procuratorate filed the charges with the Intermediate People's Court of Ningbo City.

He pleaded guilty and expressed remorse in the court.

More than 60 people including journalists and members of the public attended the hearing.

The ruling will be announced at a later date.

The academy is a ministerial-level institution directly affiliated with the central government. It is an important body for training high and mid-level civil servants as well as high-level administrators and policy researchers.