Beijing's former vice mayor has received a suspended death sentence for corruption, state media said on Sunday, in a case that raised concerns over graft in the preparations for this year's Olympics.

Liu Zhihua (59) was sentenced to death by a court in nearby Hebei province but with a two-year reprieve, Xinhua news agency said. Such rulings typically result in the death sentence being commuted to a jail term.

Liu, who oversaw construction projects for the Beijing Games, was stripped of his government post in June 2006 on suspicion of corrupt activities.

Those have been widely reported in Chinese-language press as including bribe-taking, illegal loans, and abusing his power to manipulate the awarding of contracts.

Liu also was believed to have kept several mistresses, some of whom he reportedly enriched through his illegal activities.

Citing the court in the city of Hengshui, Xinhua said only that Liu was sentenced for taking 6.97 million yuan (about one million dollars) in bribes as vice mayor and director of a Beijing science park from 1999 to 2006.

"The court said the bribes were pocketed by Liu and his mistress Wang Jianrui. Liu abused his power to get contract projects, loans and offer promotions for others in exchange for profits," Xinhua said.

The report made no mention of court proceedings for Wang.

China's ruling Communist Party has struggled in recent years to contain rampant graft and embarrassing sex scandals involving government officials, with leaders regularly warning that such episodes threaten the party's legitimacy.

AFP