According to Reuters, a court in central China on Monday jailed a former deputy sports minister Xiao Tian after finding him guilty of bribery to the tune of 7.96 million yuan.
Xiao who sat on China’s Olympics Committee for over 10 years and doubles as deputy head of the General Administration of Sport was placed under investigation last year.
The Nanyang Court convicted Xiao of taking bribes in the amount which was equivalent to $1.15 million between 1997 and 2014 when he held various official sports positions.
The bribe was in exchange for help with promotions, building projects and holding of sports events, Reuters reports.
The court however said that Xiao received a light sentence as he had confessed, repented and cooperated in handing back his illicit gains.
China, which is aggressively seeking to stamp out graft in Communist Party and government ranks, has also sought to eject corrupt elements from its sports establishment, particularly in soccer, which has been hit by match-fixing scandals. (Reuters)