The First Intermediate People's Court of Beijing pronounced on October 20 the judgment on Feng Ji, former deputy director of the entertainment center of China Central Television (CCTV).

Feng, accused by the procuratorate of taking bribery of totally 600, 000 yuan, was sentenced to 11 years in prison.

47-year-old Feng, formerly the deputy director, director of the film and TV department, and deputy director of the entertainment center of CCTV, has long been in charge of the production, purchase and broadcast of TV series.

Early in August 2003, the anti-corruption bureau of the Supreme people's Procuratorate forwarded related charge against Feng to anti-corruption department of Beijing municipality, and Feng was arrested later in August.

The procuratorate charged Feng with taking bribery of 100, 000 yuan from someone surnamed Zhao, the deputy secretary-general of the association of TV artists of Heilongjiang Province and, in return, let CCTV buy the TV series made by Zhao.

Feng was also accused of accepting 500, 000 yuan from Wang Dong, head of the Haiyun Studio under the TV Station of Hainan Province as a bargain for primetime broadcast of Wang's program.

By People's Daily Online