Former Chongqing vice mayor receives suspended death sentence

ZHENGZHOU, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese court on Tuesday sentenced Xiong Xue, former vice mayor of southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, to death with a two-year reprieve for accepting bribes.

Xiong has been deprived of his political rights for life, his personal property will be confiscated, and his illegal gains from bribery will be recovered and turned over to the state treasury, according to the verdict of the Intermediate People's Court of Zhengzhou in central China's Henan Province.

The court found that Xiong had taken advantage of his positions in Chongqing between 1999 and 2023 to assist individuals and organizations in matters related to project contracting and land acquisition.

He accepted money and valuables worth more than 148 million yuan (about 20.59 million U.S. dollars) in return, the court said. ■