CHINA: Former vice-mayor gets death penalty

A former vice-mayor of China's wealthy resort city of Hangzhou was sentenced to death yesterday on corruption charges, state media reported, one of the harshest sentences handed down to a high-level Chinese official in recent years.

Xu Maiyong, 52, was convicted of bribery, embezzlement and abuse of power, the Xinhua News Agency said. The official verdict said Xu profited illegally to the tune of 269 million yuan (US$41.3 million) while serving in a variety of positions between 1995 and April 2009 when he was dismissed.

Sentences are often announced on the same day as verdicts in China. All death sentences are automatically appealed to the supreme court.

The sentence appeared intended to signal the party's resolve in combatting widespread corruption.