Beijing Olympic official Liu Zhihua on death row or life imprisonment

A former Beijing official who oversaw citywide construction projects for this year’s Olympic Games has been given a suspended death sentence for corruption in a case that involved bribery and lavish living, state news outlets reported on Sunday.

Xinhua, the state news agency, reported that the sentence, suspended for two years, meant that if the defendant “shows good behavior, his sentence will be commuted to life imprisonment.”

The official, Liu Zhihua, 59, once exercised immense power as Beijing’s vice mayor and chief director of the agency that supervised construction projects, including the citywide makeover to prepare for the Games.

Beijing's preparations for the 2008 Olympics have been hit by a high-level corruption scandal that has led to the dismissal of a vice-mayor accused of accepting bribes and sexual favours.

Liu Zhihua, who oversaw the construction of the sporting venues that will be used for the games, is under investigation for allegedly taking more than 10m yuan (£670,000) from developers, according to Hong Kong's Oriental Daily.

But Liu Zhihua, aged 59, who was vice-mayor of the city when sacked two years ago for corruption, will almost certainly avoid execution. The death sentence has been suspended for two years pending "good behaviour" and is likely to be commuted to life imprisonment.

State news agency Xinhua said that the court in Hengshui, in Hebei province near Beijing, was told that bribes were pocketed by Liu and his principal mistress, Wang Jianrui.

Xinhua said that "he was believed to have kept several mistresses, some of whom he reportedly helped become rich through his illegal activities".