Former Chinese official sentenced to death for graft

A former senior Chinese official was sentenced to death today with a two-year reprieve by a court here for embezzling millions of dollars of poverty alleviation funds.
Fan Zengyu, former director of the foreign investment project centre under the State Council Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development, was convicted of taking bribes, embezzlement and swindling funds, according to the Beijing No.1 Intermediate People's Court.
Fan was found guilty of embezzling USD 2.6 million donated by a businesswoman Ding Yuxin, to the poverty reduction office of the central government.
He was also convicted of accepting bribes or swindling money to the tune of USD 9.2 million from Ding or one of her subordinate clerks between 2009 and 2011, the court said.

All of Fan's personal assets were confiscated, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
Ding was the main power broker in the corruption case of former railway minister Liu Zhijun.
She was jailed for 20 years in December for bribery and illegal business operations, while Liu was given a suspended death sentence in July 2013 for bribery and abuse of power.