Yan Tiancai, secretary of County Committee of Communist Party of China (CPC) in Togtoh County in northern Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, was jailed for 20 years Thursday for accepting bribes, embezzlement and failing to account for his assets.

Yang Wenxiu, Yan's wife, was also given 10-year jail term for taking bribes.

The sentences were handed down by the Intermediate People's Court of Chifeng City at the initial trial held on Thursday.

The judges found Yan and his wife accepted bribes totaling 870,000 yuan (US$110,100) from September 2001 to July 2005.

Yan was found guilty with additional charges of misappropriating government funds totaling 158,000 (20,000 U.S. dollars) and having 2.17 million yuan (US$274,680) in assets for which he could not properly account.

The court also ordered the seizure of all Yan assets.

Yan, 44, served as deputy secretary-general of the CPC City Committee of Hohhot, the regional capital before he was appointed the head of the CPC Togtoh County Committee. He was arrested in July 2005 on corruption charges

(Xinhua News Agency July 14, 2006)