Zhou Liangluo, former head of Beijing's Haidian district, has been sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve for taking bribes totaling 16 million yuan ($2.2 million).

His wife Lu Xiaodan, who took 8 million yuan ($1.1 million) along with him, was sentenced to life imprisonment, the Beijing No 2 Intermediate People's Court announced on Friday.

Zhou took bribes from property developers, advertising companies and other businesses in 2005 and 2006 during his tenure as head of Haidian district - Beijing's booming university and high-tech hub.