China: Ex Head of Sinopec Sentenced to More Than 15 Years in Jail for Graft

A Chinese court has sentenced Wang Tianpu, the former president of oil giant Sinopec Group, to 15 and a half years in prison for corruption, state media reported Tuesday.

Sinopec headquarters building in Chaoyang District, Beijing (Photo: WhisperToMe, CC0 1.0)The Nanchang City Intermediate People’s court in Jiangxi Province found Wang guilty of accepting bribes worth about 33.48 million yuan (US$ 4.9 million) and embezzling state-owned properties worth 795,934 yuan (US$ 115,667), Xinhua News Agency said. 

The court also fined Wang 3.2 million yuan (US$ 465,035) and confiscated his illicit gains, Xinhua said.  

"Wang's disciplinary violations severely contravene the core values of Sinopec," a company spokesman told Reuters. "The company has used his case to educate the employees.”

Wang is the latest high-profile executive to be jailed in President Xi Jinping’s extensive campaign against corruption since he came to power four years ago.