A former provincial government official in east China's Shandong Province was convicted of taking bribes on Wednesday and sentenced to life in prison, according to the court ruling.
According to the verdict handed down by the Ji'nan Intermediate People’s Court, Pan Guangtian, 58, former vice-chairman of the Shandong committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), accepted bribes totaling 1.53 million yuan (US$189,000) during the period between 1992 and 2001.
Pan was the first provincial-level official without party affiliation to be found guilty on the Chinese mainland, and the first bribe-related case in the province involving a former provincial-level official.
Pan had worked for various branches of the Agricultural Bank of China for many years before being promoted to the post on the CPPCC Shandong committee.
The bribes have been recovered by law enforcement departments, according to the verdict.
(Xinhua News Agency April 24, 2003)
