The former head of the Municipal People's Congress in Jinan, Shandong , has been sentenced to death for ordering the killing of his estranged mistress, who died when her car was blown up by a bomb, Xinhua reported yesterday.
Duan Yihe , 61, the former chairman of the Jinan congress' standing committee, was sentenced to death for murder, illegal use of explosives and bribe-taking, at the Intermediate People's Court in Zibo , also in Shandong.
His nephew-in-law, Chen Zhi , was also sentenced to death for his role in the murder of Duan's mistress, Liu Haiping . Another accomplice, Chen Changbing , was sentenced to life in jail.
The trial was moved from Jinan, Duan's power base, to Zibo, to avoid any conflicts of interest.
The death sentence is the latest in a string of harsh penalties meted out in recent months as the central government seeks to combat rampant corruption that it believes could weaken its grip on power.
The former head of the State Drug and Food Administration, Zheng Xiaoyu , was executed last month for taking millions of yuan in bribes during his 10-year reign at the administration.