Former party official in Sichuan jailed 13 years for graft

BEIJING - A Chinese court has sentenced the former deputy Communist Party chief of the southwestern province of Sichuan to 13 years in prison for bribery and abuse of power.

The Xianning Intermediate People's Court in central China's Hubei province announced Li Chuncheng's sentence via its official microblog. Li Chuncheng was sentenced to 13 years in prison on the charges of abuse of power and taking bribes worth 39.79 million yuan ($6.29 million). His personal assets worth one million yuan ($158,200), were also confiscated.

Li was the Party secretary of Chengdu, the capital city of Sichuan province, from 2003 to 2011, and the deputy Party secretary of Sichuan province from 2011 to 2012.

Li said in court that he accepts the sentence and would not appeal.