CHANGCHUN, Sept. 13 (Xinhua) -- Li Wenke, a former senior legislator in northeast China's Liaoning Province, was sentenced to 16 years in prison Thursday for taking bribes of over 36.59 million yuan (5.34 million U.S. dollars) as well as offering bribes.
Li, former deputy director of the Standing Committee of Liaoning Provincial People's Congress, was also fined 3 million yuan. His illegal gains will be retrieved and the bribes paid will be confiscated before both are turned over to the national treasury, according to a statement by the Intermediate People's Court of Tonghua, northeast China's Jilin Province.
The court found that Li illegally accepted money and valuables personally or through others between 1997 and 2016, and took advantage of his positions to help others with promotions, businesses, as well as project contracting and construction in return.
He was also found guilty of giving cash and valuables worth more than 1.86 million yuan to a number of officials between 2009 and 2011 when he was seeking to be nominated as Liaoning's vice governor and deputy director of the Standing Committee of Liaoning Provincial People's Congress, said the statement.
The court said Li was given a lenient punishment as he confessed to his crimes, showed repentance, voluntarily surrendered his illicit gains, and provided additional information about crimes that he had committed.
Li said in court that he complied with the judgment and would not file an appeal.
