Former senior provincial legislator sentenced to prison for bribery

XI'AN - A former senior legislator in Northwest China's Gansu province was sentenced on Thursday to 12 and a half years in prison for accepting bribes, according to a court.

Xi'an Intermediate People's Court in Shaanxi province also decided to fine Lu Wucheng, former deputy head of the Standing Committee of the Gansu Provincial People's Congress, one million yuan ($145,000). Lu's gains through bribery were confiscated.

From 2006 to 2014, Lu accepted bribes totaling 16 million yuan while holding such posts as vice governor of Gansu province, Communist Party chief of provincial capital Lanzhou, and deputy head of the standing committee of the provincial legislator, said the court.

The defendant accepted the bribes to seek benefits for others in development projects and promotion.