BEIJING – The former Communist Party boss of Shanghai, Chen Liangyu, was sentenced yesterday to 18 years in prison for taking bribes and abusing power.
Chen, who before his arrest in late 2006 was also a member of China's ruling Politburo, is the highest-ranking government official to be stripped of power in more than a decade.
His downfall, after China's top leaders decided to challenge his lock on power in his prosperous and politically powerful coastal city, is the fallout of an elite political struggle. It also exposed the prevalence of corrupt activities among Communist Party bosses.
His sentence was handed down at the No. 2 Intermediate People's Court in the northern city of Tianjin, where he was tried.
Prosecutors accused Chen, 61, of helping siphon hundreds of millions of dollars from the city's pension fund, and also of enriching himself, friends and relatives through shady financial and real estate deals beginning as early as 1988.
Government auditors said they discovered about $4.8 billion had been illegally taken out of the city's social security fund while Chen was serving in various government posts in Shanghai.
China is struggling to cope with a growing number of corruption scandals among its officials.
