Official gets sentenced to death for bribery

By Li Xinran  |   2009-2-28  |     NEWSPAPER EDITION

CHONGQING Municipality's former urban planner has been sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve for taking 18 million yuan (US$2.63 million) in bribes.

The Chongqing No. 1 Intermediate People's Court found Jiang Yong, 47, the former director of Chongqing's urban planning bureau guilty yesterday. Jiang's mistress, Tang Wei, who was also charged, faces 15 years behind bars.

The reprieve means Jiang's sentence could be commuted to life imprisonment if he shows good behavior during the period.

Both Jiang and his mistress have 10 days to appeal.

On Monday the court heard that Jiang and Tang took bribes on 46 occasions from June 2003 to February 2008 when he served as the vice director and director of the bureau.

They collected a total of 18.7 million yuan from 16 developers, including Chongqing ChangAn Real Estate Development Co Ltd, China State Construction Engineering Corporation Chongqing branch and Yang Chuanquan, chairman of Chongqing International Golf Club Co Ltd.

More than 10 senior Chongqing officials have been caught up in the municipality's real estate development scandal in the past two years. Six of them have gone on trial, including former Jiulongpo District director Huang Yun.