Former head of China's state railway operator sentenced to 15 years for bribery

XI'AN -- A Chinese court on Tuesday sentenced Sheng Guangzu, former secretary of the leading Party members group and general manager of the formerly-named China Railway Corp, to 15 years in prison for accepting bribes.

Sheng took undue advantage of his former positions between 2004 and 2022 to benefit others in enterprise operations, project contracting, and job promotions and adjustments, accepting 56.66 million yuan ($7.96 million) worth of money and valuables in return, according to the verdict issued by the Baoji Intermediate People's Court in Northwest China's Shaanxi province.

Sheng was also found guilty of taking advantage of his former posts at China Railway Corp. to seek illegitimate benefits for certain organizations in enterprise operations with the assistance of other state functionaries in 2021, accepting over 7.14 million yuan worth of money and property.

Sheng was fined 6 million yuan and had his illegal gains from bribery recovered and turned over to the state treasury, the court said.