A former district chief was sentenced on March 19 to 13 years in prison for taking bribes of 1.87 million yuan (USD 274,000).

Zhang Keming, 65, former vice-director of Putuo District in Shanghai, illegally traded property and land, abused tax policies and took bribes four times, according to Shanghai No.2 intermediate people court.

Zhang, who was quiet during the hearing, was escorted from the courtroom without appeal. His attorney had earlier declined comment.

In 2002, following a request from Liu Baogen, a former shareholder of Holiday Inn Shanghai Vista, Zhang helped the hotel extend its compound beyond what had been approved. Then, after Liu left the hotel, Zhang helped him in bidding for a project and received 350,000 yuan (USD 51 thousand) from him.

Zhang and Liu made money from a property deal with a Tianjin-based automobile trading company. When the company ended its business in Shanghai, the two bought a property from the company for a low price and sold it later for more. Zhang got 500,000 yuan (USD73.2thousand) from the deal.

Zhang also received 1 million yuan from Shanghai Shatian Property Development Company and 20,000 yuan (USD2.9thousand) from Shanghai Xinchangzheng Group, the developer of a large shopping and office complex, after he helped the company evade taxes.

An investigation in 2007 into Wang Miaoxing, former chairman of State-owned Shanghai Xinchangzheng Group, led to the discovery of Zhang’s crimes.

Zhang was detained in April 2008.