FORMER deputy head of China’s national political advisory body Ling Jihua was sentenced to life imprisonment yesterday for taking bribes, illegally obtaining state secrets and abuse of power.

    Ling accepted bribes totaling over 77.08 million yuan (US$11.6 million) personally and through his family, according to the first-instance ruling by the First Intermediate People’s Court of Tianjin.

    He pled guilty and decided not to appeal, the court said. Ling was also deprived of his political rights for life and had his personal assets confiscated.

    Ling was vice chairman of the 12th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and head of the United Front Work Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, before an announcement at the end of 2014 that he was under investigation.

    “I accept all the charges and submit to the judgment,” Ling said in his final statement. “Today’s trial will be engraved in my memory.”

    The court ruled that Ling took particularly huge bribes, committed serious crimes in illegally obtaining a large number of state secrets, and committed particularly serious abuse of power, which produced a particularly bad impact on society.

    The evidence proved that Ling, taking advantage of his positions, had sought or promised to seek profits or promotion opportunities for others. He had extorted or accepted bribes personally or through his wife, or knowingly allowed his wife and his son, Ling Gu, to accept or extort bribes from people.

    Ling illegally obtained a large amount of classified materials through Huo Ke, the then head of the secretariat of the CPC Central Committee’s General Office, and others, which seriously compromised the country’s secrecy system, according to the court.

    (Xinhua)