Seven police officers and two officials in east China's Anhui Province have been penalized for taking bribes from an organized crime gang, the local disciplinary commission said on Monday.

The seven police officers in Guangde County turned a blind eye to illegal gambling houses operated by ring leader Xia Yongrong between 2003 and 2005 after accepting more than 200,000 yuan in gifts and cash, the commission said.

Xia offered the bribes and asked the officers to allow the existence of the gambling houses. However, it resulted in police also ignoring the other illegal activities carried out by the crime ring.

Two officials with the Guangde County construction committee were also penalized for taking bribes of 20,000 yuan each and allowing Xia to build a gas station at a site selected for a greening project.

The disciplinary commission and the supervision bureau of Guangde County have handed one of the nine government employees over to judicial authorities, expelled four from the Communist Party of China and dismissed five from their posts, among other penalties.

The 41-member ring headed by Xia Yongrong faced 13 charges including gambling, fraud, drug trafficking and extortion in Guangde between the late 1990s and the first half of 2005.

Four members including Xia were sentenced to 20 years in prison in July.

(Xinhua News Agency November 6, 2007)