A court in the eastern Chinese city of Tai’an on Friday sentenced Li Wenxi, former vice chairman of the People’s Political Consultative Conference of Liaoning Province (northeast China), to death for accepting bribes worth 540 million yuan (about $78 million at current exchange rates ). This was reported by the “People’s Daily” newspaper.
According to the publication, the sentence should be carried out with a delay of two years. At the same time, the state confiscated all the property of the accused. As stated in the sentence, after a two-year term, the execution is scheduled to be commuted to life imprisonment without the possibility of further mitigation of the sentence.
According to local justice, Li Wenxi’s illegal actions “caused serious damage to the interests of the country and the people.” However, the accused actively cooperated with the investigation, which was recognized as mitigating circumstances.
Chinese authorities have stepped up the fight against corruption since the “fifth generation” of leaders led by Xi Jinping came to power in 2012. In recent years, as a result of a large-scale anti-corruption campaign, many officials, including high-ranking ones, have lost their posts and been sentenced to prison , including life.
