Gu Chunli Former Vice Governor of Jilin Sentenced to 12 Years

Gu Chunli， former vice governor of northeast Chinas Jilin Province， was sentenced to 12 years in prison in April for taking bribes at a court in neighboring Heilongjiang Province.

Personal assets worth 2 million yuan （around 290，000 U.S. dollars） belonging to Gu were confiscated， and his illegal gains shall be recovered and turned over to the state treasury， according to a statement by the Harbin City Intermediate Peoples Court in Heilongjiang.

Gu Chunli， vice governor of Jilin province in the countrys northeast， has been removed from his post.

The Communist Part of China Central Committee has released a statement using wording that is common when an investigation of this nature has been launched， saying the official has been removed because of “severe disciplinary and law violations.”

Prosecutors allege that Gu took advantage of various official positions to seek business benefits for groups and individuals， accepting bribes worth about 43.66 million yuan （$6.28 million） either personally or through his wife from 2002 to 2015.

For companies or individuals that bribed him， Gu helped with construction projects， bank loans and promotions， according to an indictment by the Harbin Municipal Peoples Procuratorate in Heilongjiang. All the illegal gains have been retrieved， it said. Gu pleaded guilty to his crimes and expressed remorse during the trial.

More than 50 people， including representatives of local legislators， political advisors， journalists and members of the public， were present at the open trial.