Former railway's minister charged

Chinese authorities confirmed on Wednesday that the former railways minister, Liu Zhijun, has been charged for bribery and abuse of power.

The Second Branch of Beijing People's Procuratorate filed the charges against Liu with the city's No.2 Intermediate People's Court.

The court has accepted the case, but hasn't set a trial date... The state prosecutor has informed Liu of his rights, after interrogating him and hearing the opinions of his defense attorney.

According to the indictment, Liu engaged in malpractices for personal gain, leading to huge losses of public property, as well as compromising the interests of the state and its people.

If the case is dealt as an "especially serious circumstance," Liu faces criminal liability for taking bribes and abuse of power.

Liu is credited with building high speed rails across the country, including one linking Hong Kong to the capital Beijing in just 8 hours...

But his legacy is also tainted by embezzlement and safety scandals, including the devastating Wenzhou train crash that killed 40 people in 2011.

And the Ministry of Railways that Liu once led no longer exists - it's now part of the Ministry of Transport... In part of a wide restructuring of government departments across the country to boost transparency.

Liu was sacked before the restructuring took place.