China state firm manager sentenced to death for corruption

An intermediate court in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province has sentenced a former state-owned coal mining firm manager to death with a two-year reprieve for taking bribes worth 306.8 million yuan (45 million U.S. dollars) over the course of six years.

According to the verdict issued on Friday, Yu Tieyi was found guilty of taking bribes in exchange for handing out bloated procurement contracts between 2005 and 2011, when he was in charge of supplies to Heilongjiang Longmay Mining Holding Group Co., Ltd., sources with the court said.

The verdict says the amount of Yu's bribes was "extremely huge" and the state suffered "a great loss," both of which warrant the most severe penalty: death sentence without reprieve. However, the court showed leniency because Yu behaved well during investigation, reported the crimes of his accomplice, and returned most of the bribes.

The court ruled to confiscate Yu's illegal gains and all his personal assets. Yu was also deprived of the chance to reduce prison terms. In China, death with a two-year reprieve often results in life in prison as long as the convict does not commit new offenses in the two years. The court then has a say on whether to grant prison term reductions.

Yu has decided not to appeal the ruling, the sources said.

China has launched a harsh crackdown on corruption since 2013 to rein in wanton official misconduct. The campaign has netted some of the highest ranking officials, many of whom are serving time in prison. Endi