Ex-Hangzhou Party chief sentenced for graft

Zhou Jiangyong, former Party chief of Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve for taking bribes amounting to 182 million yuan ($25.5 million),according to a verdict issued by the Chuzhou Intermediate People's Court in Anhui province on Tuesday.

The court also deprived Zhou of his political rights for life and confiscated all his personal property. His illegal gains and proceeds will be handed over to the State treasury.

Zhou took advantage of his former positions, including as Party chief of the cities of Zhoushan,Wenzhou and Hangzhou in Zhejiang, to help companies and individuals win construction projects and obtain land. He also assisted in the handling of legal cases they were involved in.