NANJING - Huang Sheng, a former deputy governor of East China's Shandong province, was sentenced to life in prison on Friday for taking bribes.

The conviction was handed down by the Nanjing Intermediate People's Court in East China's Jiangsu province.

The court also deprived Huang of his political rights for life and ordered the confiscation of his personal assets.

The court found that Huang took advantage of his official posts as the mayor and Communist Party of China (CPC) chief of Shandong's city of Dezhou, as well as deputy governor of Shandong, to help others obtain promotions and business-related benefits from 1998 to 2011.

He accepted bribes worth more than 12.23 million yuan ($1.97 million) from 21 organizations and individuals on multiple occasions, the court said.

The court ruled that Huang's acts constituted the crime of bribe-taking, but noted that his voluntary confession, repentance and the return of his illegal gains to relevant authorities were taken into consideration in reaching the verdict.