CHONGQING, June 26 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese court on Thursday sentenced Zhang Zulin, former vice governor of southwest China's Yunnan Province to life imprisonment for accepting bribes.

Zhang has been deprived of his political rights for life; his personal property will be confiscated, and his illegal gains from bribery will be recovered and turned over to the state treasury, according to the verdict of the No. 1 Intermediate People's Court of Chongqing Municipality.

The court found that Zhang had taken advantage of his positions in Yunnan between 2001 and 2023 to assist individuals and organizations in matters related to real estate development, project contracting, project approval, and obtaining loans.

He accepted money and valuables worth more than 122 million yuan (about 17.03 million U.S. dollars) in return, the court said.

Zhang's case was put in front of the court in an open trial on April 10. Enditem