A former senior official in Guizhou province was sentenced to 16 years in prison after he was convicted of taking bribes and abusing power by a court in Xi'an, Shaanxi province, on Thursday.

Liao Shaohua, the former Party chief of Zunyi who was once known for his stern stance toward corrupt officials at the local level, has been found by the Xi'an Intermediate People's Court to have taken bribes worth 13.2 million yuan ($2.12 million) from at least six businessmen during tenures in the city of Liupanshui and the Qiandongnan Miao and Dong autonomous prefecture.

He was also found to have misused his power while Party chief of the Qiandongnan Miao and Dong autonomous prefecture, which led to the loss of more than 3.1 million yuan in State finances.

The court has decided to take lenient measures in the verdict because Liao confessed to facts that the prosecutors did not know, the court said on its micro blog.

He also returned all the bribes he had taken and showed repentance for his crimes, the court said.

Liao, 54, was once known for his low profile, pragmatic approach and diligence, Xinhua News Agency reported.

Liao orchestrated anti-graft campaigns during tenures at Qiandongnan and Zunyi, requiring officials at county and district levels to sign liability statements for corruption at government offices. He also took the officials on tours of prisons as warnings to them.

During trial on Jan 22, Liao said that he had befriended a number of businessmen who impressed him with their loyalty to friends and worship of money.

"My values changed through contacts with friends from the business circle and the greed in me was also nurtured," he was quoted by Xinhua as saying.

Liao said in a statement published by the court that his corruption was caused by failure to restrain himself and letting his greed take over his mind.

A native of Suining, Sichuan province, Liao started as an engineer at the China Railway No 5 Engineering Group before being appointed Party chief of the Guizhou provincial committee of the Communist Youth League of China in 1997.

He was then appointed deputy mayor of the province's Liupanshui in 2001 and Party chief of Qiandongnan in 2005. He was appointed Party chief of Zunyi in July 2012.

Clues leading to the corruption investigation of Liao were discovered by an inspection team sent by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection in 2013, according to the anti-graft watchdog.

Liao is the seventh official at provincial or ministerial level to have been convicted of corruption since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in November 2012.

xuwei@chinadaily.com.cn