Chen Meng, a former deputy district head in Shanghai, was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve on the charges of taking bribes by the Shanghai No 2 Intermediate People's Court on Monday.

Under Chinese law, a death sentence with a two-year reprieve can be reduced to life in prison if the convict does not commit another crime during those two years.

The 49-year-old native of Sheyang county, Jiangsu province, was deputy head of Songjiang district from 2003 to 2011 and accepted bribes of more than 15 million yuan ($2.38 million) when he was in charge of urban construction.

Prosecutors presented evidence to the court on Feb 2 of eight instances of Chen taking bribes. It included one in which Chen accepted millions from a construction company boss and in return, offered him a favorable purchase price for a certain piece of land in the district.

Chen pleaded guilty to all charges.

The investigation into Chen's activities was initiated after reports from the public last September when he was serving as deputy head of Shanghai's Putuo district.