A FORMER district police chief in Sichuan Province who sought to flee from justice with four passports was sentenced to 12 years and six months in jail last month, The Beijing News reported yesterday.

    Wu Tao, the former head of public security in Jinjiang District of Chengdu, was convicted of taking bribes, illegal possession of a firearm, and identity document forgery in a court in Chengdu on Jan. 22, a source close to Chengdu’s political and legal departments told The Beijing News.

    The Nov. 20 trial lasted three hours, the newspaper previously reported.

    The court heard that the youngest police chief in Chengdu took more than 6 million yuan (US$1 million) in bribes while head of the district police bureau.

    Wu obtained four passports using different identity cards. Last May, he was taken into custody by Party authorities while preparing to flee with a large sum of money and several passports. (SD-Agencies)