A Chinese Court on Tuesday sentenced Sun Zhengcai, former agricultural minister and ex secretary of the Chongqing Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), to life imprisonment for taking more than 170 million yuan ($26 million dollars) in bribes.

The Intermediate People's Court of Tianjin Municipality said Sun will be deprived of his political rights for life, and the state will confiscate all his personal property and illegal profits. </s> A Chinese court has sentenced former political high-flyer Sun Zhengcai to life in prison for taking more than $26 million in bribes.

Sun's sentence handed down Tuesday by the intermediate court in the northern port city of Tianjin appears to mark the end of a career that had once been seen as propelling him to the apex of power in the ruling Communist Party.

He was also deprived of political rights for life and had all his personal property confiscated. Sun had been a member of the party's powerful Politburo. </s> BEIJING (AP) - A Chinese court has sentenced former political high-flyer Sun Zhengcai to life in prison for taking more than $26 million in bribes.

Sun's sentence handed down Tuesday by the intermediate court in the northern port city of Tianjin appears to mark the end of a career that had once been seen as propelling him to the apex of power in the ruling Communist Party.

He was also deprived of political rights for life and had all his personal property confiscated. Sun had been a member of the party's powerful Politburo.

FILE - In this March 13, 2017, file photo, the then-party secretary of Chongqing, Sun Zhengcai, attends the closing session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Chinese court sentenced former political high-flyer Sun to life in prison for taking over $26 million in bribes, Tuesday, May 8, 2018. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File) </s> Chinese court sentences former political high-flyer Sun Zhengcai to life in prison for taking over $26 million in bribes. </s> A former top Chinese Communist Party official who was once tipped for a top leadership post was sentenced to life in prison for bribery, Chinese state media said today, the latest senior cadre to fall in President Xi Jinping’s sweeping anti-corruption crusade. Sun Zhengcai, a former Politburo member and party chief of the southwestern mega-city of Chongqing, was found guilty of taking over 170 million yuan ($26.7 million) in bribes, the official Xinhua news service said, adding that his “illegal gains” would be confiscated. </s> A Chinese court has sentenced former political high-flyer Sun Zhengcai to life in prison for taking more than $26 million in bribes.

Sun's sentence handed down Tuesday by the intermediate court in the northern port city of Tianjin appears to mark the end of a career that had once been seen as propelling him to the apex of power in the ruling Communist Party.

He was also deprived of political rights for life and had all his personal property confiscated. Sun had been a member of the party's powerful Politburo.

Help us deliver journalism that makes a difference in our community. Our journalism takes a lot of time, effort, and hard work to produce. If you read and enjoy our journalism, please consider subscribing today. </s> Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Sun will have all his "illegal gains" confiscated

A former Chinese Communist Party official once tipped for a top leadership position has been sentenced to life in prison for bribery.

Sun Zhengcai, a former Politburo member, is the latest senior figure to fall in President Xi Jinping's anti-corruption campaign.

He was found guilty of taking bribes of more than $26.7m (£19.6m).

The 54-year-old, also the former party chief of Chongqing, pleaded guilty to the charges in April.

According to state media outlet Xinhua, Sun's "illegal gains" would be confiscated.

President Xi has made it his personal mission to tackle the widespread corruption in China. More than a million officials have been punished since he became president.

But critics accuse him of using the anti-corruption campaign to silence his political opponents and rein in officials who challenge his position. </s> Sun Zhengcai, Once A Rising Star In China, Gets Life Sentence On Bribery Charges

Sun Zhengcai, a former Chinese Politburo member who seemed destined for a top leadership position, has been sentenced to life in prison — the latest senior figure to fall in President Xi Jinping's war on corruption.

Sun, 54, was sentenced on bribery charges by the No. 1 Intermediate People's Court in the northern port city of Tianjin after pleading guilty on April 12. He admitted to taking $27 million in bribes.

Sun was shown on state television CCTV accepting his sentence and telling the court that he would not appeal.

The South China Morning Post reports, "The amount of bribes involved was punishable by death but the court said it took mitigating factors into account, including that most of the bribes were taken by 'designated parties' and that Sun gave investigators additional, previously unknown information about his crimes."

The Post says Sun had been the youngest member of the Politburo and "was once widely considered a strong candidate on the Politburo Standing Committee, the Chinese leadership's inner sanctum."

Sun is said to have committed the crimes while in various posts – in Beijing in 2002 while he was Communist Party boss there, as minister of agriculture and, most recently, while he was party chief in Chongqing. He was fired from that post in July and placed under investigation.

However, despite Sun's conviction on bribery, "Chinese leaders and party-run media have made it clear that Sun's offenses were largely political in nature," the AP writes. "At a party meeting last year, a senior official stated that Sun and other senior figures prosecuted in Xi's anti-corruption crackdown were 'conspiring openly to usurp party leadership.'"

As NPR's Rob Schmitz wrote last year, "In the months before taking office five years ago, Xi delivered a speech announcing the campaign he would use to consolidate power — a sweeping crusade against corruption, which had become prevalent on every level of society after decades of double-digit growth."

Sun's predecessor, Bo Xilai, was also caught up in the anti-corruption dragnet. In 2012, he too was sentenced to life. </s> Sun admitted in April to an intermediate court in the city of Tianjin that he had taken bribes of more than 170 million yuan.

Sun, 54, was abruptly removed in July from his post as party chief of Chongqing, one of China’s most important cities. (Photo: AFP)

Beijing: A Chinese court has sentenced Sun Zhengcai, the former Communist Party boss of the southwestern city of Chongqing, to life in prison for corruption, state media said on Tuesday.

Sun is the latest former senior official taken down in President Xi Jinping’s war on graft. He admitted in April to an intermediate court in the city of Tianjin that he had taken bribes of more than 170 million yuan (USD 27 million).

“After the judgment was announced, Sun Zhengcai told the court he admitted his guilt, expressed repentance, accepted the decision, and said he would not appeal,” the official Xinhua news agency said, citing the Tianjin court.

Reuters has not been able to reach Sun or a representative for comment since he was put under investigation last year.

Sun, 54, was abruptly removed in July from his post as party chief of Chongqing, one of China’s most important cities. He was replaced by Chen Miner, who is close to Xi.

Until then, Sun, one of the youngest of the 25 members of the ruling party’s decision-making Politburo, had been considered a contender for top leadership.

Prosecutors charged Sun in February with accepting “huge sums” in bribes during various posts going back 15 years in Chongqing, Beijing, the northeastern province of Jilin, and during his term as minister of agriculture.

He was certain to be found guilty because China’s courts are controlled by the party and will not challenge its accusations.

Xi has presided over a sweeping corruption crackdown since coming to power in 2012, vowing to target both “tigers” and “flies” in a reference to elite officials and ordinary bureaucrats.

The campaign has led to the jailing or punishment of thousands of officials and also brought down dozens of senior party and military officials.

The anti-corruption effort has not just been focused on issues like bribery and using public money to fund lavish lifestyles. It has also taken aim at those whose political loyalty is found lacking or who express doubt in public about party policies.

China has rebuffed criticism that the campaign is as much about settling political scores as about stamping out genuine criminal acts.
High profile Chinese Communist Party member Sun Zhengcai is sentenced to life in prison for taking bribes totaling 170 million yuan.