A former official in East China's Anhui province nicknamed "the director in the White House" was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve yesterday for taking bribes, and retaliating against and framing an innocent person.

Relatives of Li Guofu, a former official in Fuyang, Anhui province, who was persecuted to death by a local district Party secretary, hold Li's portrait to protest the sentence outside the Wuhu Intermediate People's Court yesterday. Inset: Zhang Zhi'an, former Party secretary of Yingquan district of Fuyang, who was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve yesterday. [Lao Chun/China Daily]

The sentence was handed down to Zhang Zhi'an, former Party secretary of Yingquan district of Fuyang in Anhui province, by the Wuhu Intermediate People's Court yesterday afternoon.

Wang Cheng, the district's former chief prosecutor, was also sentenced to six years in jail for helping Zhang.

Both Zhang and Wang refused to accept the verdict.

"I'm innocent! I want to appeal," Zhang shouted after hearing the verdict in court. He was so emotional he even knocked down a microphone in front of him, according to the China News Service.

Zhang has been accused of getting revenge on Li Guofu by making up false charges against the man, who later committed suicide in a local detention house.

Li's family was also dissatisfied with yesterday's verdict, calling for an immediate death penalty.

Zhang was also accused of abusing power, and taking and asking for bribes 52 times involving a total of 3.6 million yuan ($527,000).

In 2007, Zhang was given the nickname of "White House director" by locals and netizens after he was found to have spent 30 million yuan to construct the district government office building that looks identical to the US White House.

In August 2007, Xiao Hua, a secretary of the Fuyang city government, intercepted a letter that reported Zhang as being guilty of bribery, making money out of selling government posts and abusing power. The secretary then gave the letter to Zhang.

Believing the whistleblower who wrote the letter was Li Guofu, then director of the business and commerce development bureau of Quanbei trade zone in Yingquan district and director of a local real estate company, Zhang decided to take revenge.