THE former manager of a state-owned cargo shipping company in east China's Qingdao City was charged with corruption and taking bribes, Xinhua news agency reported yesterday.

Song Jun, former vice general manager of Qingdao Ocean Shipping Co Ltd (COSCO Qingdao), was said to have received more than US$7 million in bribes which he used to invest in the stock market and buy property and cars.

Song brought a total of 37 apartments in Beijing, Tianjin, Qingdao and other cities, Dong Yizhi, deputy chief prosecutor of Qingdao People's Procuratorate, said in an annual work report to the city's People's Congress.

Dong didn't say which stage the legal process had entered over song's case in his report.

Song, 49, who was removed from his post in May 2009, was vice general manager and CIO of Qingdao COSCO, in charge of the company's IT department and its business on land.

Song was said to have taken kickbacks from contractors during a period in which he oversaw the construction of Qingdao COSCO office buildings, National Business Daily reported earlier.