Former environment official sentenced to 4 years for graft

BEIJING -- Zhang Lijun, former vice minister of environmental protection, has been sentenced to four years in prison for accepting bribes amounting to 2.43 million yuan (around $354,000) by a court in Beijing on Wednesday.

Beijing Second Intermediate People's Court also fined him 500,000 yuan.

All illegal gains and resultant profits must be turned over to the state, the court ruled.

The court found that from 1998 to 2013, Zhang took advantage of various positions to seek profits for others in product distribution, project approval, job promotion and employment.

The court showed leniency as Zhang admitted to his crimes and voluntarily turned over the proceeds.