Zhang Zonghai, former head of the Publicity Department of the Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) of Chongqing in southwestern China, was sentenced Wednesday to 15 years in prison for accepting bribes by the No.1 Intermediate People's Court of Tianjin Municipality.

Entrusted by the Supreme People's Court, the No.1 Intermediate People's Court of Tianjin Municipality accepted and heard Zhang's case and held the first trial on Wednesday.

According to the court verdict, Zhang received bribes worth 3 million yuan in five years from 1997 to 2002 from a legal person, surnamed Lei, for the Jinyun Cement Works of Chongqing Municipality and abused the power of his post as secretary of the CPC Qianjiang Prefecture Committee to offer conveniences to Lei's business.

Zhang invested the 3 million yuan in real estate and illegally reaped profits of nearly 1.3 million yuan. All the illicit money has been recovered.

The court held that although Zhang was guilty of accepting bribes, considering that he helped retrieve all the illicit money and "confessed his wrong behavior thoroughly," his sentence has already been reduced.

Source: Xinhua