NANNING, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- Chen Xu, former Party chief and procurator-general of Shanghai Municipal People's Procuratorate, has been sentenced to life in prison for taking bribes.

The Intermediate People's Court of the city of Nanning in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region announced the sentencing on Thursday.

Chen was also deprived of his political rights for life. All his personal property was ordered to be confiscated, with his illicit gains and their interests turned over to the state treasury.

According to the court, Chen abused the various positions he held between 2003 and 2014 to help others in matters such as case handling, project contracting, and civil servant recruitment. From 2000 to 2015, Chen took money and goods worth more than 74.23 million yuan (10.69 million U.S. dollars) by himself or through family members.

The court said Chen was severely punished because he was a leading judicial official, took an enormous amount of bribes, caused a huge loss to the interests of the state and the people, and left a very bad social impact.

However, the sentencing has also factored in elements for leniency: Chen confessed to his crime, showed repentance, and voluntarily surrendered his illicit gains, most of which have been recovered, the court said.