Lu Songlin, former head of a south China TV station, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for taking bribes.

The Intermediate People's Court in Haikou, China's southernmost island province of Hainan, made the ruling on Wednesday at the first trial.

Lu, 50, was found to have accepted cash totaling 726,000 yuan, HK$95,000, US$20,000 and a Rolex watch valued at 53,500 yuan while serving as vice-director and director of the Hainan Provincial TV Station between 1989 and 2005.

He was arrested in May, 2005 on charges of bribery.

The court said it had moderated Lu's punishment as he had confessed to his wrongdoings and all his illicit earnings had been retrieved.

(Xinhua News Agency December 29, 2005)