Ex-Chinese cabinet minister convicted on corruption charges
Published:Monday | July 8, 2013 | 8:30 AM
State media has reported that former Cabinet minister Liu Zhijun has been given a suspended death sentence for corruption and abuse of power.
This means Liu will be spared this time around but he will be put to death if there is another offence against him.
Liu was accused of accepting bribes totalling more than US$10 million over 25 years.
Prosecutors said he awarded government rail contracts in return for bribes.
Liu is the most high-profile official to be tried and found guilty of corruption since Xi Jinping became China's leader earlier this year.
The president has called for a crackdown on corruption, vowing to tackle it from the powerful tigers at the top to the flies at the bottom of the Communist Party.
China's railways ministry, once a powerful department, was disbanded in March.
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