(FILE)

Tong Mingqian, a former senior official in central China's Hunan Province, was sentenced to five years in prison for neglect of his duties in one of the largest election frauds in China on August 18.

A Beijing court convicted Tong, 56, of failing to investigate and stop a large-scale election fraud last year while serving as the leading official of Hengyang, Hunan. Then Secretary of the Communist Party of China Hengyang Committee, Tong was responsible for organizing the election for the city's deputies to the provincial people's congress. During the election, he was informed that some candidates offered bribes to buy votes but took no measures to stop the illegal practices.

Investigations showed 56 candidates bribed hundreds of city lawmakers and staff for election to the provincial legislature. The amount of money involved exceeded 110 million yuan ($17.9 million).