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SHANGHAI—The former head of China’s biggest oil company went on trial Monday, marking the most senior-level prosecution of a Communist Party official since the country’s anticorruption drive began two years ago. Jiang Jiemin, former chairman of China National Petroleum Corp. who briefly ran the government agency that manages state-owned assets, appeared Monday morning in the Intermediate People’s Court in the central city of Hanjiang, according to information published online by the court. The court said Mr. Jiang faces charges related to taking bribes, holding a large amount of property that came from unidentified sources and abusing power while serving as an executive of a state-run company. The court didn’t identify the company or provide further details. In its brief morning release, the court said Mr. Jiang entered the courtroom with a lawyer who wasn’t immediately identified. Mr. Jiang hasn’t commented publicly or through a lawyer since he was detained 19 months ago. The party’s announcement in September 2013 that Mr. Jiang was suspected of severe disciplinary violations—a catchphrase for corruption—marked the downfall of a powerful party official. Mr. Jiang was later ejected from the party and formally charged with criminal acts. His court appearance Monday was his first during this period. The case is important in part for Mr. Jiang’s ties to a more senior party official who has also been ensnared in the anticorruption effort, former Politburo Standing Committee member Zhou Yongkang. Mr. Zhou, who in recent weeks was charged with corruption, had served as the oil company’s chairman, and he and Mr. Jiang worked together at the company. Mr. Zhou is expected to go on trial in the coming months. Though charges against Mr. Jiang had previously been announced, the date of his trial had not. The court said the trial is being attended by 76 people in total, including a number of politicians representing the national and regional legislatures and a government advisory body plus media and ordinary citizens. The court didn’t say how long the trial might last. Not Jiang Zhe Min