Three former police chiefs in Shanghai, Chongqing and Shanxi received their verdicts in Hebei province on Wednesday on charges of taking bribes.

Gong Daoan, former vice-mayor of the Shanghai government and former director of the Shanghai Public Security Bureau, was sentenced to life imprisonment for taking bribes of about 73.4 million yuan ($10.4 million), by the Tangshan Intermediate People's Court, Hebei province.

The court also deprived Gong of his political rights for life and confiscated all of his personal property, and his illegal gains will be handed over to the State treasury.

From 1999 to July 2020, Gong made use of his positions, including as the deputy head of Jingzhou public security bureau of Hubei province, the head of Xianning public security bureau of Hubei and the head of the Shanghai Public Security Bureau to help others run companies, win project contracts, handle cases and land career promotions. He received money and property amounting to about 73.4 million yuan in return, the court said.

Gong, 57, a native of Hunan province, began working in 1981. From December 2007 to October 2010, he served as the head of the Xianning public security bureau. From June 2017 to September 2020, he served as the head of the Shanghai Public Security Bureau.

He was put under disciplinary review and investigation in August 2020 and expelled from the Party and removed from his post in February 2021. His case was first publicly heard in September 2021.

In another case, Deng Huilin, former vice-mayor of the Chongqing municipal government and former head of the Chongqing Public Security Bureau, was sentenced to 15 years in prison for taking bribes of about 42.7 million yuan by Baoding Intermediate People's Court in Hebei.

The court also fined him 4 million yuan and Deng's illegal gains will be handed over to the State treasury.

From 1999 to January 2020, Deng capitalized on his positions including as the deputy director of the Hubei provincial economic commission, the vice-mayor and police chief of Yichang in Hubei, the director of the general office of the Commission for Political and Legal Affairs of the CPC Central Committee, and the head of Chongqing Public Security Bureau to help others run businesses, get license plates and obtain positions. In return, he received about 42.7 million yuan directly or through others.

Deng, 57, a native of Hubei province, began working in 1984. He became head of the Yichang public security bureau in 2010 and served as head of the Chongqing Public Security Bureau from July 2017 to June 2020.

He was placed under disciplinary review and investigation in June 2020 and was expelled from the Party and removed from his posts in January 2021.

Separately, Liu Xinyun, former vice-governor and police chief of Shanxi province, was sentenced to 14 years in prison after a court in Hebei province combined punishments of his corruption-related convictions on Wednesday.

The Intermediate People's Court in Langfang, Hebei, sentenced Liu to 12 years in prison for the crime of bribery, with a fine of 1 million yuan, and also gave him another four-year prison term for the abuse of power. In combination, the prison term is 14 years.

From 1998 to last year, Liu took advantage of work positions he served, including as the vice-mayor of Heze, Shandong province, the head of the public security bureau in Jinan, capital of Shandong, the vice-governor of Shanxi province and the head of the provincial public security bureau, to provide aid for some individuals and departments in the operation of their enterprises, the enrollment of their children and case handling, the court said. In return, Liu accepted bribes of more than 13.33 million yuan, it added.

Liu, 60, a native of Zibo, Shandong, started his career in July 1981.He joined the Communist Party of China in May 1984.