China on Tuesday jailed He Jiacheng, the former deputy head of its officials’ training institute, for nine years for graft.  

He accepted bribes totaling 7.1 million yuan (about 1 million US dollars) from 1995-2014, when he illegally helped certain companies and individuals buy land for real-estate projects, acquire company shares and go public, the Intermediate People’s Court of Ningbo City ruled. 

Because He admitted his guilt and repented he has been granted a lighter sentence, the court added.

Before the corruption charge, He served as the vice head of the Chinese Academy of Governance, a training institute for government officials, under the leadership of the Chinese State Council. 

Also on Tuesday, former deputy head of Anhui Province Yang Zhenchao went on trial in Shanghai. Prosecutors accused Yang of taking 80.85 million yuan (11.76 million US dollars) in bribes from 2003-2016, as well as abusing his power.

He pleaded guilty and the court said it will rule in the coming days. 

The country’s annual congress meeting is expected to begin on March 5 in Beijing. Over the last month, China sentenced seven senior officials for corruption, giving out prison term of lengths ranging from nine to 15 years: 

- Zhou Benshun, former secretary of the Communist Party of Hebei Province, guilty of taking 40 million yuan (5.82 million US dollars) in bribes;

- Yang Dongliang, former head of the State Administration of Work Safety, guilty of accepting 28.48 million yuan (4.1 million US dollars) in bribes;

- L‍yu Xiwen, former deputy secretary of the Communist Party of Beijing, guilty of accepting 18.8 million yuan (2.73 million US dollars) in bribes;

- Sun Hongzhi, deputy head of the State Administration for Industry and Commerce, guilty of taking 14.2 million yuan (2.06 million US dollars) in bribes;

- Xu Jianyi, former chairman of China FAW Group Corp, guilty of taking 12.2 million yuan (1.8 million US dollars) in bribes;

- Gao Jinsong, former secretary of the Communist Party of Kunming, Yunnan Province, guilty of accepting 11.9 million yuan (1.7 million US dollars) in bribes

- He Jiacheng, former deputy head of Chinese Academy of Governance, guilty of taking 7.10 million yuan (about 1 million US dollars) in bribes;

President Xi Jinping’s four-year war on graft - which he has vowed to wage until officials cannot, dare not and do not want to be corrupt - has affected officials from across the country and at all levels of the ruling party. The party’s discipline watchdog, the Central Committee of Discipline Inspection of the CPC  said the campaign would be striking tigers and flies at the same time – a reference to both high-ranking officials and those at the local grassroots levels. 

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