ZHENGZHOU -- Xu Ying, former deputy director of the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration, was on Tuesday sentenced to 15 years in prison for accepting bribes.

The sentence was handed down by a court in Anyang, Central China's Henan province.

Xu was also fined a sum of 5 million yuan (about $700,104), and his illegal gains from bribery will be confiscated and turned over to the state treasury, according to a verdict issued by the court.

From 2010 to 2024, Xu took advantage of his various posts to assist others in matters such as administrative approval, business operation, and employee recruitment. In exchange, he directly or indirectly accepted bribes worth a total of over 65 million yuan, the court said.