SHIJIAZHUANG - A former Party official of a county in North China's Hebei province has been sentenced to 17 years in prison for taking bribes, a court statement said on Wednesday.

Liu Fucheng, former secretary of the county committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) of Guyuan, was convicted of taking bribes and possessing a large amount of unexplained property, according to the statement issued by Shijiazhuang City Intermediate People's Court.

Liu accepted bribes of 7.38 million yuan (about $1.22 million dollars), four gold bars (weighing a total of 400 grams) and unexplained property worth 5.56 million yuan, when he served as deputy secretary of the CPC Chicheng County Committee, Chicheng's county mayor, and secretary of the CPC Guyuan County Committee, the statement said.

The court handed down a 17-year jail term while confiscating Liu's personal asset of 700,000 yuan, according to the statement.

Liu said after the ruling that he would not appeal.

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