Former senior Chinese provincial official in Hubei jailed for corruption

Workers cleaning windows of a building are seen behind China's national flag in Beijing on April 20, 2015. PHOTO: REUTERS

BEIJING (REUTERS) - A former senior Chinese provincial official has been jailed for 15 years for corruption, state television said on Wednesday (Dec 9), the latest person to fall in President Xi Jinping's sweeping campaign against deep-seated graft.

Guo Youming, who was a deputy governor of the central province of Hubei, was found guilty of accepting bribes by a court in the neighbouring province of Henan, state television said on its microblog.

He had been accused of taking more than 23.8 million yuan (S$5.2 million) in bribes, the report said.

It was not possible to reach Guo or his family for comment.

Mr Xi has embarked on a massive campaign to root out deeply ingrained corruption since assuming office three years ago, warning, like others before, that the problem is so bad it could undermine the party's grip on power.

Dozens of senior officials have been jailed, including Zhou Yongkang, who was the country's powerful domestic security chief.

Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.