JINAN, Dec. 29 (Xinhuanet) -- Wang Huaizhong, former vice-governorof Anhui Province, was on Monday sentenced to death after being convicted of corruption on first instance at the Intermediate People's Court of Jinan City, Shandong Province.

    Wang, 57, was found guilty of taking bribes valued at 5.17 million yuan (623,000 US dollars) from 1994 to 2001 and possessing 4.8 million yuan that he could not account for. He was also deprived of his political rights and the court ordered the confiscation of all his properties.

    Wang was vice-governor of Anhui from 1999, before which he was secretary of the municipal committee of the Communist Party of China in Fuyang City of Anhui.

    He was detained and investigated in September, 2002, by the Supreme People's Procuratorate for suspicion of taking bribes, and he was arrested in October the same year. Enditem