China quality control official jailed for life in graft case

BEIJING: A former official in charge of China´s quality control agency was sentenced to life behind bars on Friday for accepting more than $17 million in bribes, the court said.

Wei Chuanzhong was the deputy director of the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, which was responsible for standards on internationally traded goods.

The 66-year-old “used his various positions” to take kickbacks in return for help with project bids and professional promotions, according to the court in central Hunan province. The sentence ordered the seizure of Wei´s property in addition to his prison term, which the court described as “lenient” — implying that his full cooperation in the investigation spared him a possible death sentence.