Former Liaoning official given life sentence for bribery

Sun Guoxiang, former deputy director of the Standing Committee of the Liaoning Provincial People's Congress, was sentenced to life imprisonment for taking bribes, the Langfang Intermediate People's Court in Hebei province announced during a first trial on Tuesday.

The former senior legislator was accused of taking 97.65 million yuan ($14 million) in bribes from 2008 to 2018 by assisting companies in obtaining bank loans and special funds when he was acting mayor, mayor and Party secretary of Panjin in Liaoning.

The court also deprived Sun of political rights for life and confiscated all his personal property. What he gained from the crime was also turned over to the state treasury.

The court said the amount of the bribery was large and led to serious losses for the country and people, and so Sun should be punished according to law. As Sun confessed to the crimes, pleaded guilty, showed remorse and actively returned the illegal gains, and the proceeds have been fully returned and confiscated, he was given a lenient punishment.