Shanghai courts have begun to hear cases of officials involved in the Shanghai social security fund scandal, sources said Friday.

The Shanghai First Intermediate People's Court on Thursday heard the case of Wang Guoxiong, former general manager of Shanghai Industrial Investment Group who is accused of taking bribes.

Wang is the first official to be tried in court after the scandal was made known, the sources said.

Ling Baoheng, head of the Shanghai Municipal State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, his deputy Wu Hongmei and Yin Guoyuan, former deputy director of Shanghai housing, land and resources administration, are expected to appear on court in near future.

Thirteen officials have been expelled from the Party this year because of the scandal.

Former Shanghai Party chief Chen Liangyu was sacked last year from his post for his involvement in the scandal.

The other officials are accused of misappropriating 3.7 billion yuan (483 million U.S. dollars) from the fund to invest in risky real estate, road and other projects.

The sources said that the case of Zhou Zhengyi, former president of Shanghai-based property firm Nongkai Development Group, who is accused of forging VAT receipts and offering bribes, would also be heard by court in near future.

Source: Xinhua