Beijing [China], September 23 (ANI): China has punished three ex-police chiefs on charges of taking bribes just weeks before a crucial Communist Party reshuffle to be held on October 16.

Three former police chiefs in Shanghai, Chongqing and Shanxi received their verdicts in Hebei province on Wednesday, reported China Daily.

Gong Daoan, former vice-mayor of the Shanghai government and former director of the Shanghai Public Security Bureau, was sentenced to life imprisonment for taking bribes of about Yuan 73.4 million (USD 10.4 million), by the Tangshan Intermediate People's Court, Hebei province.

The court also deprived Gong of his political rights for life and confiscated all of his personal property, and his illegal gains will be handed over to the State treasury, reported China Daily.

In another case, Deng Huilin, former vice-mayor of the Chongqing municipal government and former head of the Chongqing Public Security Bureau, was sentenced to 15 years in prison for taking bribes of about Yuan 42.7 million by Baoding Intermediate People's Court in Hebei.

The court also fined him Yuan 4 million and Deng's illegal gains will be handed over to the State treasury, reported China Daily.

Separately, Liu Xinyun, former vice-governor and police chief of Shanxi province, was sentenced to 14 years in prison after a court in Hebei province combined punishments of his corruption-related convictions on Wednesday.

The Intermediate People's Court in Langfang, Hebei, sentenced Liu to 12 years in prison for the crime of bribery, with a fine of Yuan 1 million, and also gave him another four-year prison term for the abuse of power. In combination, the prison term is 14 years, reported China Daily.

Gong Daoan, Deng Huilin and Liu Xinyun were sentenced over bribery charges following claims of disloyalty against President Xi JinpingTrials came just three weeks before the ruling Communist Party's national congress on October 16 at which Xi is expected to extend his rule for the third time.

Since coming to power in 2012, Chinese President Xi Jinping has launched a series of campaigns nominally about fighting corruption but aimed at eliminating political opponents and establishing his political prestige.

In July 2020, China launched a nationwide anti-corruption campaign targeting the justice system. A handful of high-profile law enforcement figures are being jailed as a result of that probe, which ensnared more than 170,000 officials and police officers. (ANI)