'Uncle House' sentenced in S China

Cai Bin, former senior police officer with Guangzhou's Panyu District, stands trial for taking bribes in Guangzhou, South China's Guangdong province, Sept 12, 2013.  [Photo/Asianewsphoto]

GUANGZHOU - An official who was investigated after a whistleblower claimed he owned 22 houses was sentenced to 11 and a half years on Thursday.

Haizhu District People's Court in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province, convicted Cai Bin, a former senior police officer with Guangzhou's Panyu District, of accepting bribes totaling 2.75 million yuan ($446,000) from 1993 to 2012.

Monies equal to the amount of the bribes as well as personal property of 600,000 yuan were confiscated.

Cai was dismissed from his post in October 2012 after public-spirited netizens highlighted his properties on the Internet, claiming he had more than 20 houses.

Cai, who was nicknamed as "Uncle House" by the netizens, stood trial in July.

In the current climate of government's strong resolve to annihilate corruption, Cai is one of the officials to be investigated and put on trial after their crimes were first exposed on the Internet.

On Sept 5, "Brother Watch", Yang Dacai, former head of Shaanxi provincial work safety administration, was sentenced to 14 yeas in jail for taking bribes. Yang was filmed smiling at the scene of a fatal road accident and later photos surfaced online of Yang wearing luxury wristwatches, earning him his nickname.