A former senior political adviser in Guizhou province, Chen Yan, was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve on Monday for taking bribes, Xinhua News Agency reported.

The Chengdu Intermediate People's Court found Chen, the former vice-chairman of the Guizhou Provincial Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, guilty of accepting bribes and abusing his authority.

The court also handed him a seven-year prison term on the abuse-of-power charge, deprived him of his political rights for life, and ordered the confiscation of all his personal assets.

The court found that Chen used his positions, including mayor of Tongren and Guiyang and other government posts, to help organizations and individuals obtain government funding, win construction contracts, secure planning approvals, and influence company operations in return for money and gifts totaling more than 357 million yuan ($50.14 million).

The court said that between May 2017 and October 2021, Chen abused his authority to steer cooperation between local governments and a company in violation of regulations, causing big losses to State funds.

It added that Chen confessed, cooperated with investigators, and actively returned illicit gains. The proceeds have been fully recovered.

Chen pleaded guilty and expressed remorse in court.