Billionaire Gong Gangmo, accused of operating a mafia-style gang armed with submachine guns and grenades, will stand trial in the Chongqing No. 1 intermediate people's court today.

Gong, 48, along with the alleged co-leader of the 34-member gang, Fan Qihang, is facing nine charges in the southwest China municipality, including murder, illegal trade and possession of firearms, drug trafficking and operating gambling dens.

Gong's trial gripped the nation's attention when he accused his own lawyer, Li Zhuang, of instructing him to fabricate evidence to seek atonement.

If Li is found guilty of weaving evidence in a separate trial, Gong might be spared the death penalty and be sentenced to life in prison, a legal expert said.

"The two trials will bring forth the truth," said the lawyer, surnamed Wang.

"It will become clear if Li had indeed fabricated evidence to win the case for his client, who promised him a lot of money, or if Gong levied the allegations against Li at the perfect time."

Trials on Gong and his former lawyer Li opened in the wake of the city's special operation to crack down on organized crime since June.

As the operation, which the media described as "tornado like", started gaining overwhelming public support after the arrest of a number of alleged gangsters and officials who were protecting the gangs, a group of lawyers had urged protection for their colleagues who chose to defend the accused.

According to the indictment, Gong's gang, established in 2005, conducted crimes and operated illegal businesses to finance its activities and keep the gang members out of harm's way.

Each member of the gang was paid a monthly wage, it said, adding the gang had bribed several government officials, including former head of the 8th division of Chongqing public order department, Luo Dingjiang, to secure protection from the law.

On the orders of bosses Gong and Fan, two of their gang members shot dead a man in the Aidingbao residence last June, the indictment said.

The murder, it added, was executed after a year of plotting.

The victim, surnamed Li, was allegedly shot twice in the chest from point-blank range in broad daylight as he got out of his black BMW car at the gate of a community in Jiangbei district.

Gong is also accused of providing Fan with 164 million yuan (US$24 million) and offering him a 40-percent share in his club to finance the gang's loan business and to run profitable gambling dens.

The gang also traded 10 kg of methamphetamine drugs, according to the indictment.

About 15 guns, 500 bullets, and numerous grenades were also purchased to arm the gang, it said.

Other charges mentioned in the case include causing intentional injury, robbery and theft.