Former provincial legislator sentenced to life imprisonment for bribery

Zhang Xinqi, former deputy director of the Standing Committee of the Shandong Provincial People's Congress, was sentenced to life imprisonment for taking bribes. This was reported by The Xinhua News Agency.

Zhang was found guilty of accepting bribes worth over ¥155 mln (around $22.58 mln) between 2006 and 2021. From 2001 to 2019, he abused his multiple positions to seek gains for others in enterprise operations, project development and contracting, qualification approvals, and job adjustment, according to a statement by the Intermediate People's Court of Nanjing, Jiangsu Province.

The court granted him a lenient punishment as he performed major meritorious services by producing important clues which were verified through investigation for solving other major cases; also for confessing, pleading guilty, expressing remorse, and surrendering illicit money and properties in bribes, all of which have been recovered, the statement said.

The defendant was deprived of his political rights for life and had his personal properties confiscated, it said.

The illicit money and properties confiscated will be turned in to the national treasury, the statement added.

Zhang said he accepted the sentence and would not appeal.