A former senior urban management official pleaded guilty and asked for leniency during a court hearing in Guangzhou's Haizhu district on Friday morning.

Cai Bin, 57, nicknamed “Uncle House” by residents for reportedly owning 22 houses, said age and ill health were behind his actions.

“I admitted my crimes and cooperated with relevant departments of the investigation after my case was exposed,” Cai told the judges.

Cai was charged of accepting bribes worth 2.75 million yuan ($448,500) when he was deputy director of the Panyu Branch of Guangzhou Public Security Bureau and political commissar of the Panyu District Branch of the Guangzhou Urban Management Law Enforcement Bureau from 1993 to 2012.

Cai said he spent most of the bribes in buying properties in Panyu and Nansha districts.

The Haizhu District People's Court did not issue a verdict on Friday.