A former top official with China's drugs watchdog stood trial Sunday for taking bribes, falsely accusing a superior and illegally selling a book he had written.

Zhang Jingli [File Photo: Yangcheng Evening News]

A court in Beijing heard that Zhang Jingli, 56, had accepted bribes of more than 1.17 million yuan (US$184,145) from 2003 to 2010 when he was deputy director of the State Food and Drug Administration.

Prosecutors said Zhang gained most of the money by having companies buy his book - "Shou Shi Bu Yuan," a guide to health using traditional methods - which he was not licensed to publish and sell. The court heard that overall sales of the book, which cost 368 yuan, had raised more than 16 million yuan.

Prosecutors also said Zhang had instructed others to sending to central authorities more than 1,300 letters containing false accusations against Shao Mingli, director of the FDA.

Zhang is said to have ordered Liao Hongbing, Yang Jun and Pan Jingping, who are also on trial accused of bribery and making false accusations, to allege that Shao was guilty of corruption. Their reports were later found to be false. The court was told that Zhang had wanted to become director of the FDA after Zheng Xiaoyu, the former director, was executed for corruption in 2007.

Zhang was accused of living a "decadent life" by the discipline inspection commission in January when he was formally arrested. He was caught in a video in steamy scenes at Beijing's infamous Heaven on Earth nightclub featuring high-end prostitutes.

He admitted some of the charges in court but no verdict has been announced.