Wen Mengjie, former director of the science and technology department of the Agricultural Bank of China’s Beijing branch, was sentenced to death on Tuesday for accepting bribes and embezzling public funds worth about 15 million yuan (US$1.85 million).

Wen said he would appeal the ruling made by Beijing No.1 Intermediate People's Court in Beijing High People's Court.

From 1999 to 2004, Wen was found to have received about 10.7 million yuan (US$1.32 million) in bribes from four IT firms whilst in charge of purchasing electronic equipment and software for the bank, the court said.

He was also found to have embezzled public funds of 4.3 million yuan (US$530,000) between 2003 and 2004 while purchasing automatic teller machines for the bank.

According to today’s China Daily, he used the money to buy houses for himself.

Wen told the court the bribes were commissions paid by the IT firms for the sales, but evidence from the four companies and the bank indicated that he had demanded bribes, the court said.

Sources at the bank said it does not permit staff to accept commission.

Wen was arrested in July last year and charged with being in possession of assets disproportionate to his known sources of income. All his property has been confiscated.

(China Daily December 21, 2005)