A former provincial Communist Party leader in China has been found guilty of corruption and sentenced to life in prison, according to official media. Liu Fangren, who served in the south-west province of Guizhou, was found guilty of accepting more than $800,000 in bribes in 1995-2002, Xinhua said.
Correspondents say the verdict is the latest in China's anti-graft campaign.
Earlier this year one official was executed and another was sentenced to death for bribery.
Liu served as party chief of Guizhou, one of China's poorest provinces, from 1993-2001, before being appointed to a post in China's parliament.
He was found to have taken bribes of 6.61m Yuan (more than $799,000) and additional handouts of $19,900, Xinhua said.
He must hand over all his personal property and repay the bribe money.
The Chinese Government is intent on stamping out official corruption, which the public lists as a key complaint.
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