Two former Heilongjiang government officials linked to the bribes-for-jobs case, which involving the ex-leader of the provincial advisory body, were sentenced to death in Harbin yesterday.

The sentences will be commuted to life imprisonment if they prove to be model prisoners for two years, the Supreme People's Court said.

In addition, Ding Naijin, 53, then secretary of the Jixi municipal committee of the Communist Party of China, and Zhang Xinyuan, 62, former Party chief at a provincial tax bureau, had their property confiscated.

The Intermediate People's Court in the provincial capital handed down the verdicts.

Last December, a Beijing intermediate court gave Han Guizhi, 63, the same sentence for taking bribes worth more than 7 million yuan (US$868,179).

Ding gave Han 110,000 yuan between 1996 and 2000. She promoted Ding to mayor of Jixi and then Party chief of the city.

Zhang gave Han 120,000 yuan and US$5,000 for promotions from 1996 to 2002.

Han was Heilongjiang's deputy Party chief and head of the provincial department for job appointments at the time. She was advisory body chairman when arrested in 2004.

Ding and Zhang took about 6.2 million yuan and 5 million yuan, respectively, in bribes during their time in office.

(Shanghai Daily January 26, 2006)