The former director of the Medical Apparatus Department under China's State Food and Drug Administration, Hao Heping, was sentenced to 15 years in prison on Tuesday for taking bribes and illegal possession of firearms.

The Beijing No. 1 Intermediate People's Court also sentenced Hao's wife Fu Yuqing to five years in prison for taking bribes.

The court found that Hao, 58, accepted 800,000 yuan (US$100,000) in bribes from four companies between 2002 and 2004 when he was director of the Medical Apparatus Department.

And in March 2004, a company gave Hao and Fu 200,000 yuan after the couple complained of not having enough money to renovate one of their apartments.

Fu, 56, was working as an administration official in a medical apparatus company.

The court heard that Hao also owned five air pistols, breaching China's regulations on weapon ownership.

(Xinhua News Agency November 28, 2006)