CHINA. OFFICIALS SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR BRIBERY

two former Heilongjiang government officials linked to the bribes-for-jobs case were sentenced to death in Harbin, China.  The sentences would be commuted to life imprisonment if they proved to be model prisoners for two years, the Supreme People's Court said.
In addition, Ding Naijin, 53, then secretary of the Jixi municipal committee of the Communist Party of China, and Zhang Xinyuan, 62, former Party chief at a provincial tax bureau, also had their property confiscated.
The Intermediate People's Court in the provincial capital handed down the verdicts.
In December 2005, a Beijing intermediate court gave Han Guizhi, a 63 year old female, the same sentence for taking bribes worth more than 7 million yuan (US $868,179).
It was reported that, between 1996 and 2000, Ding gave Han 110,000 yuan after which she promoted him to mayor of Jixi and then to Party chief of the city. Zhang reportedly gave Han 120,000 yuan and US$ 5,000 for promotions from 1996 to 2002.
Han was Heilongjiang's deputy Party chief and head of the provincial department for job appointments at the time. Ding and Zhang took about 6.2 million yuan and 5 million yuan, respectively, in bribes during their time in office.