( CNN ) -- A former mining tycoon accused of running a `` mafia-style '' gang to amass billions of dollars in personal wealth has gone on trial in China , facing charges including murder , state media reports . Liu Han was former board chairman of the Sichuan Hanlong Group , the largest private enterprise in the southwest Chinese province of Sichuan , with interests including mining , real estate , electricity , energy and finance . He also holds major stake in a number of Australian companies . Official Chinese news sources estimate his wealth , which was seized with his arrest , as in the `` tens of billions of yuan , '' or billions of U.S. dollars . The 48-year old , who was detained last year along with younger brother Liu Wei on suspicion of criminal activities , has been charged with a raft of crimes , including murder , financial crimes , operating casinos and gun-running , according to state news agency Xinhua . The trial against the brothers and 34 of their associates began in Xianning Intermediate People 's Court in Hubei Province Monday , when a photograph of Liu Han in the court 's dock , flanked by policemen , was published on social media networks by state news agencies . Details of the charges against the alleged gang -- including nine murder charges -- were carried in a Xinhua report in February . Gang of thugs . According to the report , the Liu brothers started out running gambling centers in their base in Guanghan , China 's southern Sichuan Province , in the early 1990s , gathering around them `` a gang of local thugs and vagrants . '' The report said the brothers ' empire grew , before finally attracting the attention of central authorities with an alleged public shooting at a Guanghan teahouse one afternoon in January , 2009 , supposedly directed at an underworld rival . According to the report , the two suspects detained over the attack , which killed three and injured two , allegedly identified Liu Wei as having ordered the attack . Liu Han also developed a reputation as a philanthropist , building a rural school campus following a 2008 earthquake that devastated Sichuan Province . His brother also had a reputation for charity , and had been a torch-bearer in the build-up to the Beijing Olympics , also in 2008 , according to Xinhua . Anti-corruption purge . Large numbers of senior Communist Party officials are reportedly attending the trial , which is being closely watched for any signs of links to a potential investigation into former senior official Zhou Yongkang . The 71-year old was a member of the Politburo Standing Committee , China 's top decision-making body , before he retired in 2012 , and previously served as the czar of China 's domestic security apparatus , and as the party chief in Sichuan from 1999 to 2002 . Speculation has swirled in recent times that Zhou is set to become the next high-profile target of President Xi Jinping 's heralded anti-corruption purge . Chinese state media has hinted that Liu Han 's alleged gang operated with political connections to central government officials .
Chinese mining mogul accused of running mafia-style gang to amass billions in wealth . Liu Han ran the largest private enterprise in China 's Sichuan Province . State media reports he came to attention of central authorities after alleged shooting in 2009 . Nine murders are linked to his alleged syndicate , which includes his brother , Liu Wei .