Convicted embezzler Wu Jianwen, former president of state-owned Shanghai Pharmaceutical Group, has been given a suspended death sentence for corruption.
The sentence came with a two-year reprieve. It is likely to be commuted to life in prison with good behavior, according to global news agency AFP. Wu is said to have enriched himself by more than $8 million from both bribes and public funds.
Officials began investigating Wu in 2009. He was arrested in August 2010 for taking bribes, assisted by his wife, according to East Day.
Shanghai Pharmaceutical is both manufacturer and distributor.
The Chinese courts are not always so lenient. Both counterfeiters and a corrupt regulatory official have been given death sentences, going back to 2007.
- see the AFP article
- see the East Day story
- here's Bloomberg's report