CHONGQING - A coal mine safety official in Southwest China was sentenced to life in prison Wednesday for taking 9 million yuan ($1.35 million) in bribes.

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The No 5 Intermediate People's Court in Chongqing municipality announced the verdict on Wednesday in which Wang Xiping, former deputy director of Chongqing municipal administration of coal mine safety, along with three other defendants, were found guilty.

Wang was convicted of accepting 5.4 million yuan as bribes from coal mine owners, along with Chen Hongqiang, Wu Jungen and Lin Hua, between August 2000 and July 2009, the court said.

Wang was also found guilty of acting on his own when demanding and accepting 3.6 million yuan in bribes from more than 20 coal mine bosses.

The other two principals, Chen, a former criminal police officer, and Wu, former chief of the technology and equipment department under the municipal coal mine safety administration, were both sentenced to 15 years in jail.

Lin, who worked at a vehicle rental company, was also found guilty of accepting a 50,000-yuan car for Wang, and also used the car, himself.

As an accomplice, Lin was jailed for one and a half years.

The four defendants did not appeal the first-instance verdict at the court.