Two former Heilongjiang government officials linked to the bribery scandal involving the former leader of the provincial advisory body were sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve in Harbin yesterday.

Their sentences could be commuted to life imprisonment for good behavior, according to the Supreme People's Court.

In addition, Ding Naijin, 53, former secretary of the Jixi municipal committee of the Communist Party of China, and Zhang Xinyuan, 62, former Party chief at a provincial tax bureau, had their property confiscated.

The Intermediate People's Court in Harbin handed down the verdicts.

Last December, a Beijing intermediate court gave Han Guizhi, 63, the same sentence for accepting bribes worth more than 7 million yuan (US$868,179).

Han was Heilongjiang's deputy Party chief and head of the provincial department for job appointments. She was advisory body chairman at the time of her arrest in 2004.

Ding gave Han 110,000 yuan between 1996 and 2000. Han promoted Ding to mayor of Jixi and then Party chief of the city.

Zhang gave Han 120,000 yuan and US$5,000 for promotions from 1996 to 2002.
 
Ding and Zhang also accepted about 6.2 million yuan and 5 million yuan respectively in bribes during their time in office.

(Shanghai Daily January 26, 2006)