China sentences former provincial political advisor to 17 yrs for graft

A former senior political advisor in central China's Hubei Province has been sentenced to 17 years in prison on charges of power abuse and taking bribes, the Fuzhou City Intermediate People's Court said on Friday.

The court also confiscated 300,000 yuan ($48,345) of personal property from Chen Baihuai, former vice chairman of the Hubei Provincial Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.

The court said Chen, as a provincial agricultural head in Hubei, committed fraud for personal gains and abused his power, causing a loss of 610 million yuan to public funds from 2004 to 2008.

Chen also took bribes of up to 2.83 million yuan from companies and individuals from 2003 to 2013, the court said.

Investigations found Chen took advantage of his position to seek benefits for others and accepted money and gifts. The Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP) labeled Chen's illegal activities as "especially serious" when Chen was prosecuted last September.

The SPP designated the Fuzhou city people's procuratorate in east China's Fujian Province to conduct the prosecution.