GUANGZHOU - A former deputy mayor in South China's Guangdong province has been sentenced to life in prison for taking bribes, a local court said late Thursday.

The Guangzhou Intermediate People's Court on Thursday issued a verdict for Liu Rongzhao, former deputy mayor of the city of Zengcheng.

It is not known whether Liu will appeal.

The court found that Liu had taken more than 10 million yuan ($1.6 million) in bribes from January 2003 to March 2011, when he served as head of Xintang Township, secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Working Committee of Licheng Street, deputy director of the Standing Committee of People's Congress of Zengcheng and deputy mayor of Zengcheng.

The court deprived Liu of his political rights for life and confiscated assets worth 1 million yuan.

Other illegal income obtained by Liu will also be confiscated, the court said.