[JURIST] Chinese state media on Monday reported that the former head of the country’s biggest oil firm was sentenced to 16 years in prison for corruption. The former chairman of China National Petroleum Corp. (CNPC) [official website], Jiang Jiemin, was tried in April for taking bribes and abuse of power. A court in Hubei province convicted [WSJ report] him of bribery after finding that he had collected more than 14 million yuan ($2.2 million) in assets he could not explain the origin of. Jiang accepted the sentence [AP report], telling the court that he would not appeal the Monday verdict. Authorities have also reportedly confiscated [Bloomberg report] about 1 million yuan (USD $157,600) from the former chairman after he failed to explain how he got it.

The Chinese government has worked in recent years to combat corruption in its legislative and judicial systems. In September prosecutors in China announced [JURIST report] that they would be investigating former China Supreme Court justice Xi Xiaoming on corruption charges. In June China’s anti-corruption Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) announced the launch [JURIST report] of investigations into 26 government agencies and state-owned enterprises. The CCDI inspections have resulted [Reuters report] in lost positions by 70 senior officials of state firms in 2014. Earlier that month China’s ex-security chief Zhou Yongkang was sentenced [JURIST report] to life imprisonment for corruption after being found guilty of bribery, abuse of power and intentionally disclosing national secrets. In March officials announced that efforts against corruption have led to the investigation and conviction of 14 generals [JURIST report] for corrupt financial practices. In February Chinese officials announced the impending prosecution [JURIST report] of Su Rong, former vice chairman of China’s top parliamentary advisory board, for graft.