Zheng Shaodong, the former assistant minister of public security and former chief of the economic crime investigation bureau (ECIB), was Tuesday sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve for accepting bribes, the Xi'an Intermediate People's Court in Shaanxi Province said.

The court found that Zheng abused his various posts to do favors for those tied up in investigations, win a promotion and find jobs. He took more than 8.26 million yuan ($1.04 million) in bribes from 2001 to October 2007.

All of Zheng's illicit assets were confiscated, the court said.

The court held that although Zheng's crime was serious, his decision to cooperate with the investigation and return the bribes made him eligible for a suspended death sentence.

Zheng, born in Chaoyang, Guangdong Province, lives in the same town as Huang Guangyu, the former chairman of Gome Electrical Appliances Holding who was recently sentenced to 14 years in prison by the Second Branch of the People's Procuratorate of Beijing Municipality over economic crimes.

Zheng was previously hailed as an excellent police officer and during his 30-year law enforcement career, he tracked down violent criminals. .

From 2001 to 2005, Zheng served as deputy head of the Department of Public Security in Guangdong Province and as director of the ECIB under the Ministry of Public Security.

In April 2005, he was promoted to assistant minister of public security.

The court also stripped Zheng of his political rights for life, the Xi'an court said in a statement.