A government official in Hunan province was sentenced to life in prison on Monday for taking bribes and holding large amounts of property that had no clear source, Xinhua reported.

According to a verdict delivered by the Hengyang Intermediate People's Court, Gu Xianglin, 49, former vice-director of the Changsha urban planning bureau and head of the city's municipal facilities management office, was found to have accepted 16.88 million yuan ($2.71 million) in bribes. Gu also had 47 million yuan worth of property that had no clear source.

His wife, Wu Lijun, was also sentenced to two years in prison with a three-year suspension for taking bribes.