An ex-aide to former Chinese President Hu Jintao was on Monday sentenced to life in prison in a corruption case.
A court in Tianjin sentenced Ling Jihua for accepting bribes totalling over $11.6 million, illegally obtaining state secrets and abuse of power, Xinhua news agency reported.
Ling pleaded guilty and decided against appealing. He was deprived of his political rights and his assets were confiscated.
Ling was vice chairman of the 12th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and head of the United Front Work Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, before coming under probe in 2014.
"I accept all the charges and submit to the judgement," Ling said, adding "Monday's trial will be engraved in my memory".
Ling is now one among the several top officials, along with former Public Security Minister Zhou Yongkang, to be sentenced for graft since the beginning of President Xi Jinping's crackdown on corruption.
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