Yang Jinfu, former vice head of the Guizhou provincial department of labor and social security, was sentenced to a 12-year jail term for taking bribes, said sources with a local court on Tuesday.

The case was heard by the Intermediate People's Court of Guiyang, Guizhou's capital.

The 54-year-old Yang was charged with taking 872,000 yuan during May 2006 and January 2008. In return, he used his power as the vice head to give approval to establishment of migrant worker vocational training schools, according to the court.

Yang, who was arrested last May, had submitted 900,000 yuan, including bribes and fines, to the Guizhou provincial people's procuratorate.

He appealed after receiving the sentence.

(Xinhua News Agency April 14, 2009)