CHINA. FORMER SENIOR OFFICIAL GETS DEATH FOR GRAFT

December 16, 2005: Han Guizhi, the former head of the top advisory body of Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve for accepting 7.02 million yuan (US$ 875,000) in bribes. 
The Beijing No 1 Intermediate People's Court found that from 1993 to 2003, Han, former chairwoman of the Heilongjiang Provincial Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), accepted bribes from many officials, including Ma De, former Party secretary of Suihua in Heilongjiang.
In July, Ma was also sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve for taking bribes worth 6 million yuan (US$740,000) from 1992 to 2002.
Han reportedly took advantage of her posts including deputy Party secretary of Heilongjiang; and vice-director and, later, director of the Organization Department of the provincial Party committee to promote the bribe givers.
All the illicit money paid to her had been recovered, the court said.
Han could have been immediately executed based on the amount of the bribes she accepted. However, given that she had confessed to some bribery cases that the prosecuting bodies had not discovered, owned up to all the crimes she committed and returned the bribes, she was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve. She was also deprived of political rights forever and all her personal assets were confiscated. (Sources: China Daily, 16/12/2005)