CHONGQING - A court in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality on Tuesday upheld a life sentence for the city's former Hilton Hotel boss over mafia-related crimes.

The Higher People's Court of the Chongqing Municipality rejected the appeal of Peng Zhimin who was sentenced to life imprisonment for a series of gang crimes by the Chongqing No 1 Intermediate People's Court in the first-instance trial on May 4, the higher people's court said.

Peng Zhimin was convicted of ordering his men to implement demolition by violence and organizing prostitution in his casino in the Chongqing Hilton Hotel, according to the first-instance verdict of the Chongqing No 1 Intermediate People's Court.

The verdict also said Peng was involved in usury activities and bribed officials.

The higher people's court upheld the original verdict on grounds that the verdict at the first-instance trial was based on sufficient evidence.

The court also rejected the appeals of the 26 members of Peng's ring who were sentenced to jail terms ranging from one-and-a-half years to life in the first-instance trial.