ZHENGZHOU, Oct. 10 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese court on Saturday convicted Zhou Xianwang, previously a senior political advisor from central China's Hubei Province, of taking bribes and sentenced him to 14 years in prison.
Zhou, a former vice chairperson of the Hubei provincial committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, was also fined 5 million yuan (about 742,600 U.S. dollars) for his crimes, according to a verdict issued by the Intermediate People's Court of the city of Shangqiu, Henan Province.
The illicit gains and related proceeds Zhou got will be recovered and turned over to the state treasury, the court said.
From the first half of 2003 to May 2025, Zhou took advantage of his various official positions in Hubei to provide assistance to relevant organizations and individuals in matters such as project contracting, business operation, and administrative approval. In return, he accepted money and property worth 60.5 million yuan, the verdict noted.
The court said Zhou received a lenient sentence because he truthfully confessed to his crimes and disclosed additional bribery facts previously unknown to investigators, while some of the bribery offenses were attempted rather than being completed. He had also pleaded guilty, expressed remorse, and actively returned what he received in bribes, with most of the illegal money and property already recovered, the ruling said.
The court stated that these circumstances warranted leniency in sentencing.
The case was heard publicly on July 9.
China's top anti-graft agency announced the decision to expel Zhou from the Communist Party of China and dismiss him from public office in January 2026. ■
