Former vice-mayor sentenced to death in massive bribery case

The former vice-mayor of a northern Chinese city has become the first corrupt official to be given the death penalty since the launch of a widespread anti-graft crackdown in 2012.

Zhang Zhongsheng was sentenced on Wednesday in Linfen, Shanxi province, after being convicted of accepting 1.04 billion yuan ($165 million) in bribes.

Between 1997 and 2013, he accepted massive kickbacks to help others land lucrative contracts - including in the coal mining sector - while serving as a county head and then vice-mayor of Lyuliang, according to Linfen People's Intermediate Court.