Principals found guilty of kickbacks

BEIJING - The principals of 12 schools in an East China city have been found guilty of taking more than 4 million yuan ($606,000) in bribes, mostly representing kickbacks from suppliers to school cafeterias, local prosecutors said in a press release over the weekend.

The cases, described as the largest ever instance of bribery in Yongkang of Zhejiang province, also led to the dismissal of the head of the local education bureau.

From April to August in 2010, prosecutors filed charges against 15 people, including the former head of the city's education bureau and 11 principals of 12 middle or primary schools.