Former party official jailed for life for bribery

A former Party official in Dongguan city in Guangdong province was sentenced to life imprisonment on Wednesday for taking bribes and a monumental property crime.

Wu Zhanhui, former deputy general secretary of the Dongguan City Committee of the Communist Party of China, was found guilty of taking bribes totaling 49.7 million yuan (8.1 million US dollars) and holding huge amount of unaccountable property, the Guangzhou Intermediate People's Court said.

Wu, then deputy chief of the city's environment protection bureau, granted Lai Hongzhong, head of Hengtai Co., Ltd., favors in a bid for an industrial waste disposal project in 2003. He helped Lai again in 2006, when he was chief of the environment protection bureau, to continue his contract until 2014.

The court found that Wu accepted cash totaling 49.7 million from Lai from 2003 to 2012. He purchased properties in Hong Kong worth 92 million HK dollars and loaned 30 million yuan back to Lai in 2007.

The verdict said Wu owns a hugh amount of property from unidentified financial sources. The value of these properties is much higher than his legitimate earnings. As a public servant, Wu used his power to seek benefits for others and illegally took money from others.

All money and goods accepted as bribes and suspicious property will be recovered.

Wu was sentenced to life imprisonment and deprival of political rights for life while 5 million yuan of his property was confiscated, the court said.