Former vice governor of northeast China's Liaoning
Province Liu Ketian was sentenced to 12 years in prison on
Friday for taking bribes, the China Business Morning View
reported.
The Liaoning High People's Court upheld the verdict reached by
the Anshan Intermediate People's Court in early February, finding
that Liu took advantage of his post and received bribes of more
than 1.3 million yuan (US$157,000).
Liu's attorney Song Shaofu said they would take the appeal to a
higher court.
Born in 1951 in Shenyang, the provincial capital, Liu became
Shenyang's vice mayor in August 1990. In February 1995, he was
promoted to the post of vice governor.
The Central Discipline Inspection Commission of the Central
Committee of the Communist Party of China issued a notice in
November 2003 concerning Liu's violations of CPC discipline and
Chinese law.
In eastern China on Friday, Li Tianyi, vice mayor of Quanzhou,
Fujian
Province, was removed from office for alleged involvement in
economic crimes, the China News Service reported.
In recent years, a number of high-ranking officials have been
found guilty of various crimes and received punishment as the
central government strengthens the fight against corruption. The
country is also taking measures to prevent corrupt officials from
fleeing abroad.
(China Daily April 4, 2005)