Former exec China Mobile guilty in corruption case

BEIJING (AP) - former Vice-President belonging to the State in China Mobile Ltd., largest telephone company in the world by subscribers, was found guilty Friday of taking bribes and sentenced to prison.Zhang Chunjiang, who was also an official of the Communist Party, was sentenced to a sentence of death with a stay of two years by a court in the city of Shijiazhuang, Xinhua News Agency said. These sentences are usually commuted to life imprisonment with good behavior.Zhang was found guilty of having 7.5 million Yuan ($1.1 million) in bribes between 1994 and 2009 by the Director General of a technological society and President of a company of advertising in Beijing and her husband, Xinhua said. It gave no other details, but earlier reports said that Zhang was accused of "selling favors."Chronic corruption in China fueling public anger that the Communist leaders have warned could erode the influence of the party in power. Thousands of Government and the party are punished each year for graft and some executed, but the authorities have given no indication if the problem is calm.Zhang is also one former President of China Netcom Ltd., one of three main telephone companies of belonging to the State of China. Xinhua, said that the cases against him also included offences during his stay in this job.In 2009, China Mobile has announced that Zhang was under investigation. He was dismissed in January 2010 and subsequently expelled from the party in power which is stripped him of the protection as a member of the political elite.