Ling Zhengce, the former deputy head of the Shanxi People's Political Consultative Conference has been sentenced to jail for twelve and a half years. He was also given a fine of 1.5 million yuan.

Ling was found guilty of taking bribes, when he used his power to provide help for others in project approval, business operations, and position promotions.

The bribes he took totalled over 16 million yuan. The Changzhou Intermediate People's Court says Ling has confessed his crimes and proactively revealed illicit bribes that authorities hadn't known of. The court says Ling has shown remorse and has given up all the money from the bribes. The court says the severity of the punishment was therefore mitigated.