Former senior provincial official sentenced to life imprisonment

FUZHOU -- Zeng Zhiquan, a former senior official in southern China's Guangdong province, has been sentenced to life in prison for taking bribes.

The sentencing was announced Tuesday by the Intermediate People's Court of Fuzhou in Fujian province.

Zeng, a former member of the Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China Guangdong Provincial Committee and former head of the provincial United Front Work Department, was also deprived of his political rights for life, and ordered by the court to have all his personal assets confiscated and turn over all illicit gains and their interests to the state.

According to the court, Zeng used his various positions between 2004 and 2017 in Guangdong to help others obtain land and projects and in return, he illegally accepted money and goods worth over 141 million yuan ($20.5 million) directly or through his relatives.

The court said Zeng was given a lenient punishment as he confessed, provided additional information about his crimes, showed repentance and voluntarily surrendered his illicit gains, which have all been recovered.