China Official Gets Death for Mistress`s Murder

Xu Zhiyuan, was found guilty of ordering his mistress killed in 2006.

A Chinese court has sentenced a disgraced Beijing official to death for ordering the murder of his mistress and for corruption, Xinhua news agency said on Tuesday.

Xu Zhiyuan, a former vice-chairman of an advisory body to the legislature of Beijing's suburb of Fangshan, was found guilty of ordering his mistress killed in 2006, Xinhua said.

He paid his driver, Liu Xiaoming, 100,000 yuan ($14,000) to murder the woman, surnamed Chen, Xinhua said, adding that Liu lured Chen to a factory outside the capital and strangled her before setting her body ablaze.

Xu was also found guilty of abusing his authority and accepting bribes totalling 600,000 yuan.

The Communist Party has called official corruption a threat to its continuing rule, but the problem remains rampant and is a major source of public resentment in a country with no meaningful checks on power.

Last year a senior official in the eastern province of Shandong was executed for ordering the murder of his mistress in a car bomb attack.