BEIJING, October 19 (RIA Novosti) - A former vice mayor of Beijing has been given a suspended death sentence for taking bribes, the Chinese news agency Xinhua reported on Sunday.
Liu Zhihua had been in charge of overseeing construction projects for the Chinese capital's 2008 Olympics. He was dismissed in June 2006 and accused of corruption, Xinhua said.
"Liu, 59, was charged with taking bribes of about 6.97 million yuan ($1.02 million)," Xinhua said, referring to the judgment passed by the Intermediate People's Court in Hengshui outside Beijing.
However, the death penalty has been suspended for two years meaning that Liu's sentence will be commuted to life imprisonment, if he shows good behavior.
