BEIJING - BEIJING'S former vice-mayor appealed on Tuesday a suspended death sentence for corruption and urged judicial authorities to show leniency due to his contributions to the Olympic Games, state press said.

Liu Zhihua, 59, was sentenced to death earlier this month but with a two-year reprieve. Such rulings typically result in the death sentence being commuted to life in prison.

In his written appeal, Liu, formerly in charge of Olympic construction, said his 'useful advice' to builders was a contribution to the successful Beijing Games and grounds for leniency, Xinhua news agency reported.

The former vice-mayor also appealed a court order for the confiscation of 200,000 yuan (S$43,731) in assets and his apartment, arguing that the funds and property were legally earned, the report said.

Liu was stripped of his government post in June 2006 on suspicion of corruption.

This has been widely reported in the Chinese-language press to include bribe-taking, illegal loans, and abusing power to manipulate the awarding of contracts.

Liu also was believed to have kept several mistresses, some of whom he reportedly enriched through his illegal activities.

He was convicted of taking 6.97 million yuan in bribes as vice mayor and director of a Beijing science park from 1999 to 2006.

China's ruling Communist Party has struggled in recent years to contain rampant graft and embarrassing sex scandals involving government officials, with leaders regularly warning such episodes threaten the party's legitimacy. -- AFP