A Chinese court on Wednesday jailed for life the former head of the statistics bureau after finding him guilty of corruption.

He is the latest official to be brought down in President Xi Jinping’s war on corruption.

“A court in the city of Zhangjiakou found Wang Baoan had illegally accepted over 153 million Yuan ($22.5m) in cash and other valuables.

“Wang’s crimes took place between 1994 and 2016, when he held a variety of other jobs, including in the finance ministry.

“Wang confessed and repented, meaning he has been given a lighter sentence,’’ the court said.

However, it was not possible to reach family or any of his legal representatives for comment.

Wang was deputy finance minister from 2012 until April 2015, when he took up the post of statistics bureau chief.

Xi Jinping has conducted a sweeping campaign to root out deeply ingrained corruption, warning that the problem is so bad it could affect the ruling Communist Party’s grip on power.

PUNCH