A former official of Agricultural Bank of China was sentenced to death yesterday for accepting bribes and embezzling public funds worth about 15 million yuan (US$1.85 million).

Wen Mengjie, former director of the science and technology department of the bank's Beijing branch, used the money to buy houses for himself.

Wen said he would appeal the ruling of the Beijing No 1 Intermediate People's Court in the Beijing High People's Court.

From 1999 to 2004, Wen received about 10.7 million yuan (US$1.32 million) in bribes from four IT firms when he was in charge of purchasing electronic equipment and software for the bank, the court said.

Wen, 49, also embezzled public funds of 4.3 million yuan (US$530,000) during 2003-04 while purchasing automatic teller machines for the bank.

Wen told the court the bribes were commissions paid by the IT firms for the sale but evidence from the four companies and the bank showed Wen demanded bribes, the court said. Sources at the bank said that it does not permit staff to accept any commission.

Wen was arrested in July last year and charged with being in possession of assets disproportionate to his known sources of income. All his properties have been confiscated.

Source: China Daily