A vice mayor of a city in eastern China's Jiangsu province has been sentenced to life in prison for accepting bribes totaling more than 220,000 dollars, the Beijing Morning Post said Sunday.
The paper said Pan Baocai was sentenced by a court in Yuannantong city. The court recovered 100,000 yuan (12,000 dollars) from Pan, which he allegedly took while serving as vice mayor.
Pan was also accused of accepting expensive watches and refrigerators as gifts from those trying to curry his favor.
Chinese authorities, who view the fight against corruption as a "matter or life or death" for the communist party, have speeded up prosecutions of tainted officials over the past few months.
In November, courts in Fujian province in southeastern China sentenced 14 people to death, three with suspended sentences, and jailed 70 others for their role in the scandal which touched some of the most senior leaders and involved nearly 10 billion dollars -- BEIJING (AFP)
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