Chinese local official jailed for bribery

HEFEI -- A former deputy mayor from East China's Anhui province was sentenced to fourteen-and-a-half years in prison on Tuesday for bribery and abuse of power, according to a court ruling.

Quan Junliang, 51, former deputy mayor of Lu'an City, was found guilty of accepting bribes worth 3.6 million yuan ($587,928) between 2003 and 2012 to secure promotion or projects for others, according to the Suzhou Municipal Intermediate People's Court.

Quan was also found guilty of interfering in the exploration rights transfer of an iron ore mine, resulting in economic losses of 520 million yuan to the state.

In addition to seizing his ill-gotten gains, Quan's personal wealth of 200,000 yuan was confiscated.