The former deputy mayor of Leshan city in southwest China's Sichuan Province, Li Yushu, has been sentenced to death by the Sichuan Provincial People's Higher Court for taking bribes.
Li was convicted of extorting payoffs totaling 8.93 million yuan (US$1.08 million) from companies seeking contracts for expressway projects. The bribes also included two luxury automobiles and a Rolex watch.
In May 1996, Li was appointed director of the local traffic administration, and later assistant mayor and then deputy mayor of Leshan city, in charge of road construction projects.
Police also seized cash and belongings worth three million yuan (US$360,000) for which Li could not explain the legal sources.
(Xinhua News Agency July 25, 2002)
