Lenient punishment given to two officials who cooperated

Two allies of disgraced former security chief Zhou Yongkang were imprisoned on Monday after being found guilty of corruption.

One of the senior officials was sentenced to 16 years and the other to 13.

Jiang Jiemin, 60, who led China National Petroleum Corp, the country's biggest petroleum company, before being assigned to oversee State-owned firms, was sentenced to 16 years for accepting bribes, holding a huge amount of property from an unidentified source and abusing his power.

Hanjiang Intermediate People's Court in Hubei province confiscated 1 million yuan($158,200) of his personal assets.

Between 2004 and 2013, Jiang accepted bribes of 14.04 million yuan by abusing his power to benefit others with projects and job promotions.

As of Aug 31, 2013, Jiang's personal and family property assets and spending were found to have surpassed the legal income for himself and his family. He could not identify the sources of the surplus, the court said.

As Jiang had confessed and cooperated with judicial officers in the confiscation of his illegal proceeds, the court gave him a lenient penalty according to the law.

Also on Monday, Li Chuncheng, 59, the former vice-Party chief of Sichuan province, was given a 13-year term by Xianning Intermediate People's Court in Hubei province. The court confiscated 1 million yuan of his assets and ordered him to hand in money gained from bribes.

The court said that between 1999 and 2012, Li accepted bribes of 39.8 million yuan in cash and property while serving as the vice-mayor, mayor and Party chief of Chengdu, the Party chief of Luzhou and vice-Party chief of the Sichuan Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China.

The properties acquired illegally were given to him or to his wife. Li was also given a lenient sentence for cooperating with law enforcement officers.

Both Jiang and Li pleaded guilty and will not appeal.

They are allies of Zhou Yongkang, 73, a former member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and secretary of the Commission for Political and Legal Affairs of the CPC Central Committee.

Zhou is one of the highest ranking Chinese politicians to be sacked in the ongoing anti-corruption battle.

Instructed by Zhou, Jiang helped with the business activities of others, helping them to illegally obtain huge profits and causing the State big losses between2004 and2008, the Hanjiang court said.

Li abused his power at the request of Zhou to help others gain illegal benefits, resulting in State asset losses between 2001 and 2011, the Xianning court said.

Zhou was imprisoned for life in June for accepting bribes, abusing his power and deliberately disclosing State secrets.

Zhou served as deputy general manager of the China National Petroleum Corp and secretary of the CPC Sichuan Provincial Committee for years.

Contact the writers at luowangshu@chinadaily.com.cn and dujuan@chinadaily.com.cn