NANNING, Aug. 16 (Xinhua) -- Zhang Wenxiong, former head of the publicity department of the Communist Party of China Hunan provincial committee, was sentenced to 15 years in prison and fined 2 million yuan for taking bribes and holding a huge amount of property with unidentified sources.
Zhang's illicit gains will be turned over to the state treasury, according to the verdict announced by the Intermediate People's Court of Guilin, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
The court found that between 2002 and 2016, Zhang took advantage of his positions to seek benefits for others in project contracting, and personnel arrangements and promotions, among others.
He was convicted of accepting money and gifts worth over 23.35 million yuan (3.4 million U.S. dollars) personally or through his wife, Tu Aifang, between 2004 and 2016.
Zhang also could not account for his assets of 51.58 million yuan, said the court, adding Zhang's family wealth and expenditure clearly exceeded his legal income.
Zhang confessed his crimes, pled guilty and expressed remorse, and returned most of the bribes, which constituted mitigation of sentence, the court said.
