The former head of Guizhou Provincial Department of Communications was executed on Friday for taking huge bribes, according to the Supreme People's Court.

Guiyang Intermediate People's Court meted out the death sentence in April 2004. The supreme court re-examined and approved the execution, which was carried out in the provincial capital of Guiyang, Xinhua News Agency reported.

According to the court verdict, Lu Wanli, 61, took more than 25.59 million yuan (US$3.16 million) in bribes from June 1998 to January 2002 when he was the provincial transport chief and general manager of the provincial expressway development company. In addition, he failed to account for another 26.51 million yuan (US$3.27 million) of property, said the supreme court.

Lu fled abroad in January 2002 using a false passport, but was later arrested and deported to China.

Liu Fangren, former secretary of the Guizhou Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China, was sentenced to life imprisonment in Beijing in June last year for taking bribes of 6.61 million yuan (US$799,000) and additional US$19,900.

(Xinhua News Agency December 17, 2005)