Former Chinese Forestry Deputy Sentenced to Life in Prison for Bribery

A Chinese court on Wednesday sentenced Li Chunliang, a former deputy head of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration and a veteran official in the Communist Party’s personnel apparatus, to life in prison for bribery.

The Dezhou Intermediate People’s Court in Shandong province found Li guilty of accepting bribes and using his influence to solicit illicit payments. He was sentenced to life imprisonment for bribery and four years for influence peddling. The court combined the penalties into a life sentence, permanently stripped him of his political rights and ordered the confiscation of all illicit gains. It said they would be turned over to the state treasury, according to the Supreme People’s Court.