Lu Wanli, former head of the Communications Department of southwest China's Guizhou province, was executed Friday in Guiyang for taking huge amounts of bribes, according to the Supreme People's Court.

The supreme court, which re-examined and approved the execution, holds that Lu had taken more than 25.59 million yuan (3.16 millionU.S. dollars) worth of bribes from June 1998 through January 2002 when he served as the provincial communications chief and general manager of the provincial expressway development company.

In addition, he failed to account for another 26.51 million yuan (3.27 million dollars) of property, said the supreme court.Lu fled abroad in January 2002 using a false passport, but was later arrested and brought back to China.

The Guiyang Intermediate People's Court meted out the death sentence on Lu in April 2004. With the approval of the supreme court, the Guiyang court carried out the execution.

Source: Xinhua