Sun Zhengcai, seen as Xi Jinping’s possible successor, pleaded guilty to accepting more than $27m in bribes.
A former senior Communist Party official who was once tipped to become China ’s future president has been sentenced to life imprisonment for bribery on Tuesday.
The First Intermediate People’s Court of Tianjin convicted Sun Zhengcai of taking more than 170 million yuan ($27m) in bribes directly or through third parties.
Sun had previously pleaded guilty to accepting bribes at his trial on 12 April.
During the trial, Sun said he would not appeal against the sentence.
Sun and his alleged associates were accused of accepting the money and assets in return for providing help to unspecified organisations and individuals, business operations and other matters, the court said.
He committed the crimes while he was a district Communist Party leader in Beijing in 2002, when he was the state minister of agriculture, and during his period as party chief, the court said.
„I sincerely confess to and regret the crimes I committed. I accept the court’s verdict and will not appeal,“ the 54 year old leader said in court, China Central Television reported.
Sun, a former Politburo member and party chief of the southwestern mega-city of Chongqing was also expelled from his political rights for life, and all his property and illicit gains confiscated, Chinese news agency Xinhua reported.
In July, Sun was abruptly removed from his post as the ruling Communist Party’s chief of the southwestern city of Chongqing and was replaced by Chen Miner, a protege of current President Xi Jinping .
