FORMER deputy minister for public security Li Dongsheng went on trial in Tianjin city yesterday on bribery charges, becoming the latest senior figure to be prosecuted in an anti-corruption campaign.

The crackdown spearheaded by President Xi Jinping has targeted scores of high-level officials at provincial and national levels, in the military and state-owned enterprises.

The highest-ranking person to fall is former state security head Zhou Yongkang, who was at the centre of a vast patronage system from his various positions of power, including as an executive in the state-owned oil industry.

Prosecutors in Tianjin accused Mr Li yesterday of taking advantage of several government posts he held between 1996 and 2013 to seek profits through bidding processes and job transfers.

Despite having no experience in law enforcement, he was elevated to deputy public security minister in 2009, sparking rumours of help from Mr Zhou, who was sentenced to life in prison in June for corruption and other crimes.