Liu Tienan، a former top economic official has been sentenced to jail for life over accepting bribes using his designational influence according to State Media report.
Mr. Liu، who had been the deputy head of National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) has been found guilty by Chinese court for accepting an amount of $5.8 million as bribes or gifts during his tenure in return for favors in businesses، until he was sacked back in 2013.
Today، a Chinese court north of Beijing had ruled that Liu “took advantage of his post to seek gains for others، illegally took cash or gifts from others by himself or via his son Liu Decheng”.
While he has been indicted with bribery، Liu had already confessed to his charges، stating that he had “lost the trust of bosses and colleagues. I deeply regret my actions”.
While Liu has been sentenced to jail for life، he also has lost political rights for life with his property and wealth being confiscated by the state، according to Xinhua news agency.
His confession and cooperation is has acted as a shield from Liu receiving the death penalty، which was otherwise deemed inevitable.
Liu’s case is of unusual sorts since allegations made on him initiated from a Chinese journalist، and investigative journalism leading to the prosecution of suspects is a rare thing in China.
Following Liu’s sentence، last week، criminal charges were brought against Chinese Security Chief Zhou Yongkang، the most senior Chinese Communist Party official ever، facing charges for corruption.