Nur Bekri, former head of the National Energy Administration, pleaded guilty to the charge of taking bribes in an open trial on Thursday at the Shenyang Intermediate People's Court in Liaoning province.

From 1998 to 2018, Nur Bekri used his job positions to help others obtain projects, promote products and receive preferential policies in exchange for bribes worth 79.1 million yuan ($11.5 million), according to the statement from the Shenyang People's Procuratorate in Liaoning.

The sentence will be given later, the court said in a statement.

Between 1998 and 2018, Nur Bekri served as deputy Party chief of Urumqi in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, mayor of Urumqi and chairman of the region. He was appointed deputy head of the National Development and Reform Commission and head of the National Energy Administration in 2014.

In September, he was placed under investigation by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Supervisory Commission for "serious violations of Party discipline and laws".

In March, he was expelled from the Communist Party of China and removed from public office. His illegal gains have been confiscated.