Chinese corruption death sentence upheld

A court in China has rejected an appeal by a former senior parliamentary official, who had been sentenced to death for corruption.

The official news agency Xinhua reported that the Beijing Higher People's Court upheld the sentence passed on Cheng Kejie, the former vice-chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, for taking five million dollars in bribes.

The agency said the death sentence still has to be confirmed by the Supreme People's Court.

If the sentence is carried out, Mr Cheng would be the most senior official to be executed for corruption since the Communist Party took power in 1949.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service