The Intermediate People's Court of Suzhou, east China's Jiangsu Province, has sentenced John Shing-Wan Leung to life in prison for espionage, according to the court on Monday. 

Leung is a permanent resident of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and also holds a U.S. passport.

Leung "was found guilty of espionage, sentenced to life imprisonment, deprived of political rights for life," a statement from the court said, adding his personal property of 500,000 yuan (around $71,800) was confiscated.