A former vice mayor of Beijing has been given a suspended death sentence for taking millions of yuan in bribes, state media said yesterday. Liu Zhihua had been in charge of building venues for the Chinese capital?s 2008 Olympics, as well as the $40 billion upgrade of the city?s infrastructure for the Games. He was sacked in June 2006, accused of corruption and bad morals.

The official Xinhua news agency said Liu, 59, took 6.97 million yuan ($1.02 million) in bribes, citing the judgment of a court in the neighboring province of Hebei. «The court said the bribes were pocketed by Liu and his mistress Wang Jianrui. Liu abused his power to get contract projects, loans and offer promotions for others in exchange for profits,» the report said.

A suspended death penalty in China is normally commuted to life imprisonment on condition of good behavior. Sources previously told that the national Communist Party chief and Chinese president, Hu Jintao, oversaw Liu?s removal.