A former deputy mayor of Hangzhou, a famed tourism destination in east China, was sentenced to death for corruption on Thursday, said a court in Zhejiang Province.

Xu Maiyong, 52, was convicted of bribery, embezzlement, and abuse of power Thursday at the Intermediate People's Court of Ningbo City, Zhejiang.

The former deputy mayor of the provincial capital was also stripped of his political rights for life and all of his personal property was confiscated, according to the ruling.

The court found that between 1995 and 2009, Xu abused his official positions to interfere in project contracting and to help companies and people obtain land, promotions and privileged tax breaks. In exchange, he received over 145 million yuan (about 22.2 million U.S. dollars).

Xu also embezzled state-owned assets totaling more than 53 million yuan, said the court.

Xu did not say if he would appeal.