Li Tangtang, the former vice chairman of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region and former vice governor of Shaanxi, was sentenced to life in prison on charges of accepting bribes earlier today.

The Chongqing No. 5 Intermediate Court found Li Tangtang guilty of accepting 7.68 million yuan in bribes while he held several government positions in the northwestern province of Shaanxi between 1998 and 2009. The court sentenced the former vice chairman to a non-specified prison term - which equates to a life sentence.

Li was removed from the office in October 2009 and later had his case transferred to judicial authorities. ??Investigations showed that Li abused his position to help others make financial gains, including providing land use approvals to real estate development companies, helping people to land jobs and interferring in the bidding process for winning certain contracts.

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Xinhua

寧夏原副主席李堂堂一審被判處無期徒刑