The Langfang Intermediate People's Court announces the verdict for Liu Tienan Wednesday, Dec 10, 2014. The court posted the photo with its official account on Sina Weibo, a microblogging service in China.

Liu Tienan, 60, a one-time leading light in China's energy industry, was sentenced to life imprisonment for bribery on Wednesday by a court in Hebei province.

The Langfang Intermediate People's Court found Liu guilty of receiving bribes worth 35.5 million yuan ($5.8 million) between 2002 and 2012, when he was a department chief and later vice-minister of the National Development and Reform Commission, China's top economic planner.

Liu's case came to light when residents reported information via the Internet about possible graft. The case is seen as the start of the country's online anti-corruption efforts.