Zhao Keming, the former vice-mayor of Xiamen in East China's Fujian Province, was sentenced to death with two years' reprieve yesterday for taking bribes, the Xinhua News Agency reported Friday.

Zhao, 55, also had all personal properties confiscated, according to the Intermediate People's Court of Xiamen.

Investigations found that Zhao asked for and received bribes that totalled 4.52 million yuan (US$546,000) between 1995 and 1999 when he served as a vice-mayor of Xiamen and took charge of urban construction.

During that period Zhao took bribes on 24 different occasions and made decisions that benefited his bribing benefactors, the report said.

For example, Zhao approved a company's request to reduce the land price of a street in Xiamen so that the price was deducted by 100 yuan (US$12) per square metre.

This helped the company, Fukang Economic Development Co Ltd, to save a total of 22.85 million yuan (US$2.76 million) in developing real estate projects.

In the second half of 1998, Zhao accepted 1 million yuan (US$120,000), HK$1 million (US$128,000), and US$100,000 from Liang Linwei, general manager of the Fukang company.

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