China oil boss sentenced for bribes
Former head of oil giant Sinopec given suspended death sentence for corruption.
The sentence means his punishment could be commuted to life in prison if he is deemed to have repented.
Chen joins a string of high-level Chinese officials and heads of state industry who have been convicted of corruption.
Chinese leaders view simmering public anger over corruption as a threat to communist rule and have launched repeated crackdowns in an effort to be seen as tough on the issue.
Reporting on the sentence, China’s state-run Xinhua news agency said Chen was granted a reprieve after he “confessed and repented, provided tips about other people’s criminal acts, and returned all the bribes”.
Sinopec, also known as China Petroleum & Chemical Co., is Asia’s biggest oil refiner by volume and China’s second-biggest oil company after China National Petroleum Corp.