Chinese anti-corruption chief sentenced to death over bribes

A provincial official responsible for rooting out corruption has been sentenced to death by a Chinese court for accepting more than $1m (€780,000) in bribes.

The official Xinhua News Agency said today that Wang Huayuan was sentenced by a court in eastern Shandong province for abusing his position.

Wang was given a two-year reprieve, which means if he shows good behaviour the sentence will probably be commuted to a life term.

Xinhua said Wang took the cash in exchange for helping corrupt businesses avoid arrests.

He was detained last year when China launched a nationwide crackdown on corruption, gangs and violence. The campaign has yielded 256,000 arrests.