A FORMER deputy chief with Guangzhou’s land and housing administration was sentenced to 13 years in jail by Shenzhen Intermediate People’s Court on Wednesday for taking 4 million yuan (US$576,801) in bribes from property developers.

    Personal assets of the official, Tan Liquan, were confiscated.

    Tan, born in 1953, served in several posts at the administration before she was appointed deputy chief. In June 2014, Tan was detained for investigation.

    According to prosecutors, Tan conspired with Cao Jianliao, then a member of the standing committee of Tianhe District Party committee of Guangzhou, to manipulate and hoard collective lands for property development to make a profit. At the first trial Tan insisted that she hadn’t taken a penny in bribes and had committed no crimes. She insisted that Cao came to her and asked her to help find developers and acquaintances to develop collective land in the villages. Tan then gave the land development rights to Julian Co., whose shares are partly controlled by her husband. Julian company paid a 300,000-yuan deposit for land development.

    Another former official with the Guangdong Water Resources Department was recently prosecuted for suspected bribery, Shenzhen People’s Procuratorate said yesterday.

    Peng Zeying, 66, is a former member of the Party group of the Guangdong Water Resources Department. Peng was charged with taking 14.8 million yuan in bribes by offering bidding advantages for hydraulic engineering projects while Peng was serving as deputy chief and inspector of the department.

    Peng was probed in October 2015 for serious disciplinary violations. (Han Ximin)