Former Chinese official given 12 years in prison for graft

HEFEI - Jiang Shan, former Communist Party of China chief of Chuzhou city in Anhui province, has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for abuse of power and accepting bribes.

The intermediate court in Wuhu city said Jiang, 54, caused over 168 million yuan (24 million U.S. dollars) of losses to the country due to his handling of land-transfer fees, and he had accepted bribes totaling more than 4.33 million yuan.

Jiang was fined 1.4 million yuan and his illegal gains will be confiscated, according to the court.

The defendant lodged an appeal.