A government official in Guangzhou is facing prosecution for corruption charges after allegedly pocketing nearly 90 million yuan ($13.8  million) in bribes and other assets while in office and trying to hide his wealth by marrying a woman in Hong Kong.

The Information Times reported yesterday that Huang Huahui, former deputy director of Guangzhou Housing and Land Administration bureau, was found to have received cash gifts from individuals in a span of nine years while supervising land development projects in the city.

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The case is the latest in a series of corruption crackdowns on low to mid-level government officials who have been arrested and prosecuted for taking bribes and embezzling public money to fund their extravagant lifestyle.

Enormous wealth

Reports said Huang attempted to hide the enormous wealth he had accumulated over the years by registering his marriage with his wife, Mei, in Hong Kong in 2008.

Once married, Huang started to purchase numerous properties in the city under the names of his wife and her relatives.

Reports said Mei's family and relatives now have residential properties including 11 flats and eight arking spaces as of 2014. 

The Information Times said Huang had bought a 52 million yuan luxury apartment located at Zhujiang New Town, Guangzhou's high-end residential complex.

"Given that I was a public servant, I might be targeted in a probe if I had such a big number of properties under my name. Therefore, I needed to come up with an idea to keep them off the radar," the newspaper quoted Huang as saying in court.

TagsHuang Huahui, Guangzhou Housing and Land Administration, Hong Kong, Bribery, anti-corruption campaign, President Xi Jinping, high-end apartment