Gu Chunli, former vice governor of northeast China's Jilin Province, was sentenced to 12 years in prison for taking bribes on Friday at a court in neighboring Heilongjiang Province.
Personal assets worth 2 million yuan (around 290,000 U.S. dollars) belonging to Gu were confiscated, and his illegal gains shall be recovered and turned over to the state treasury, according to a statement by the Harbin City Intermediate People's Court in Heilongjiang.
Gu was found to have taken advantage of various official posts from 2002 to 2015 to help others with business operations, construction, loans, case handling and job promotions.
The court found that he accepted bribes worth 43.65 million yuan either personally or through his family.
The court showed leniency, taking into consideration the fact that he confessed, exposed the crimes of others, expressed remorse and voluntarily turned over all his proceeds.
