Sun Zhengcai, former secretary of the Chongqing Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), was sentenced to life in prison for taking bribes of over 170 million yuan (26.7 million U.S. dollars).

The sentence was announced Tuesday by the First Intermediate People's Court of Tianjin Municipality.

He was deprived of his political rights for life, and all his personal property was confiscated, according to the verdict.

His illegal gains and relevant yields they generated will be retrieved, the court said.

Sun is also a former member of the Political Bureau of the 18th CPC Central Committee.  

Top image: Sun Zhengcai stood trial for bribery in April at the First Intermediate People's Court of Tianjin Municipality.