A former deputy director of National Energy Administration (NEA) on trial for taking bribes has pleaded not guilty because he says the charges are based on a false confession that was extracted via torture and intimidation, according to a person who attended the closed-door trial.

Xu Yongsheng, whose one-day trial was held in the Beijing No. 1 Intermediate People’s Court on February 23, is accused of accepting more than 5.6 million yuan in cash and gifts from eight state-owned companies, court documents seen by Caixin show.