Kang Rixin, former General Manager of China National Nuclear Corp. (CNNC) has been sentenced to life imprisonment by the Beijing No.1 Intermediary People's Court on corruption charges. Kang was also deprived of his political rights for life and had his personal assets confiscated.

Kang, 57, was convicted of having abused his power to enable others to profit. He accepted bribes totaling 6.6 million yuan ($970,000) between 2004 and 2009, said the court ruling.

The sentence was lighter because Kang cooperated with investigators and returned all his ill-gotten gains.

Kang became CNNC's general manager in September 2003. He was sacked from his post for "serious violations of the law and discipline breaches" in December 2009.

The CNNC, a large state-owned enterprise, is the main investor in and the biggest owner of nuclear power plants across the country.