Wang Huaizhong, former vice governor of east China's Anhui Province, was executed Thursday in Jinan, provincial capital of east China's Shandong Province after being sentenced to death in December for taking bribes.

He was put to death by lethal injection, but was allowed to meet with his family before the execution.

Wang's penalty was approved by the Supreme People's Court. Prior to that ruling, he lost an appeal for a lighter penalty in January at the Shandong Provincial Higher People's Court.

Wang, 57, was sentenced to death in December by the Intermediate People's Court of Jinan for taking bribes valued at 5.17 million yuan (US$623,000) from 1994 to 2001, and possessing 4.8 million yuan (US$580,000) that he could not account for.

He was on trial in Jinan, Shandong Province, instead of Anhui to prevent possible collusion between Wang and other related local officials, according to sources with the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

Wang is the third senior corrupt official at the provincial or ministerial level to be sentenced to death since 1978, according to sources.

The previous two were Hu Changqing, former vice governor of east China's Jiangxi Province and Cheng Kejie, governor of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

Wang acted as secretary of the Fuyang Municipal Committee of the CPC in 1996, and was elected vice governor of Anhui Province in 1999.

He was arrested in 2002 under suspicion of taking bribes.

It was confirmed by the Supreme People's Court that besides taking bribes, Wang extorted bribes on four separate occasions, which carries a heavier punishment according to law.

Some of the bribes taken by Wang were used to obstruct investigations by relevant authorities into his corrupt actions, said court sources.

"Wang's crimes are very serious and have caused great harm to society," said sources with the court's collegial bench who are dealing with reviewing cases in which a death sentence has been passed.

All of Wang's personal property was confiscated according to the court decision, which also deprived him of his political rights for life.

(China Daily February 13, 2004)