China ex-railway minister given suspended death sentence

PanARMENIAN.Net - The former head of China's state railway system, once described in state media as "morally corrupted," has received a suspended death sentence for bribery and abuse of power, according to CNN.

Liu Zhijun, 60, was sentenced by the Beijing No. 2 Intermediate People's Court Monday, July 8 to death with a two-year reprieve, deprived of his political rights for life and had all his personal property confiscated. He was also sentenced to 10 years in jail for abuse of power.

Though Liu's crimes carry the death penalty under Chinese law, it's thought his confession and subsequent cooperation influenced the court's decision to commute his sentence, state-media reported.

From 1986 to 2011, the court said Liu took advantage of his positions at local railway authorities and then as railways minister to help 11 people win lucrative government contracts. He reportedly accepted 64.6 million yuan (US$10.5 million) in bribes from them during this period, state-run Xinhua said.

Liu was also accused of breaking regulations and applying favoritism, which allowed people such as Ding Yuxin, chairman of Beijing Boyou Investment Management Corporation, and her relatives to reap huge profits and inflict "colossal losses" on public assets, thus "violating rights and interests of the state and the people," Xinhua said.

Liu, who was appointed to the Railways Ministry in 2003, was responsible for the rapid expansion of China's rail infrastructure, particularly its high-speed network. He won widespread acclaim for his role until his arrest on corruption charges in February 2011.