A former senior foreign trade official, Shi Xiaoping, is facing a corruption charge, a Beijing court confirmed Friday.

The No. 2 Intermediate People's Court in Beijing said it has taken Shi's case after the municipal procuratorate referred the court to the case.

The court doesn't announce a specific date for the trial.

Shi, 55, was charged for graft after allegedly taking advantage of his post as head of the administrative department of the former Chinese Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Co-operation.

Shi asked a ministry-affiliated commercial entity to pay an upward of 200,000 yuan (about 29,412 U.S. dollars) for his house purchase in October 2006.

Shi was detained by police in March last year.