China jails former business regulator for 18 years for graft

[BEIJING] A court in China jailed a former senior official at one of the country's business regulators for 18 years on Friday for corruption, state news agency Xinhua said.

Sun Hongzhi was a deputy head of the State Administration for Industry and Commerce. He was expelled from the ruling Communist Party in 2015.

The court in Shandong province found Sun guilty of corruption, saying he abused his power while holding a series of offices between 2002 and 2014, Xinhua said.

All his assets had been confiscated, including a tiger and a leopard pelt, it added.

Sun confessed his guilt and repented, meaning he got a lighter sentence, Xinhua said.

It was not possible to reach a legal or family representative for comment.

Since assuming office more than four years ago, President Xi Jinping has waged war on deep-seated graft, warning, like others before him, that the problem is so bad it could affect the party's grip on power.

Dozens of senior figures have been jailed for corruption and abusing their positions, including a once powerful domestic security chief, Zhou Yongkang.

REUTERS