Former Xizang official sentenced for bribery

Wang Yong, a former vice-chairman of the government of the Xizang autonomous region, has been given a suspended death sentence for taking bribes, a court in Hunan province announced Tuesday.

The Chenzhou Intermediate People's Court sentenced Wang to death for bribery with a two-year reprieve. The court deprived him of his political rights for life and ordered the confiscation of all his personal assets. All of Wang's illicit gains and related interests will be turned over to the State treasury.

In China, a suspended death sentence is typically commuted to life in prison after two years if the inmate commits no further crimes. The term can be further reduced based on the inmate's behavior.