Former Beijing zoo chief sentenced to life imprisonment over graft

Xiao Shaoxiang, former vice curator of the Beijing Zoo, was sentenced to life imprisonment on Friday on corruption charges, according to a local court.

The Beijing No. 2 Intermediate People's Court convicted Xiao of graft, taking bribes and owning a huge amount of property from unclear sources.

He was also deprived of political rights for life and had all his personal property confiscated.

The court ruled that Xiao, working as head of Taoranting Park and vice curator of the Beijing Zoo between 2005 and 2012, embezzled over 14 million yuan (about 2.29 million US dollars) in public funds.

According to the court, Xiao pocketed funds for renovation projects for the zoo's animal enclosures and Taoranting facilities by asking for kickbacks from construction companies, and he was found to have embezzled money paid by a demolition company to the zoo.

Xiao was also found guilty of accepting 100,000 yuan in commission charges to help a construction company win a bid. He failed to identify the source of another eight million yuan of his fortune.