Chinese ex-police chief Wang Lijun, who triggered a scandal that shocked the Communist Party, was sentenced to 15 years in prison on Monday for defection and other crimes, Xinhua reported.

Wang fled to the US consulate in Chengdu in February, sparking a crisis that saw top politician Bo Xilai sacked and his wife convicted of murder, exposing divisions in the upper echelons of Chinese politics ahead of a power transfer.