A former top security official faces life in jail after a mainland court on Friday hit him with a suspended death sentence for bribery and other crimes.

The death sentence of Sun Lijun, former vice minister of public security, will be commuted to life imprisonment after two years, according to a statement by the Intermediate People's Court in the city of Changchun in Jilin province.

The court also deprived him of political rights for life and confiscated all personal property.

Sun, 53, was found guilty of corruption, manipulating the stock market and illegally owning two firearms.

Sun was found to have abused his power in a number of influential positions between 2001 and 2020. He pleaded guilty in July to accepting more than 646 million yuan in bribes.

Former justice minister Fu Zhenghua received similar penalties on Thursday. He was said to be part of Sun's "political gang”. (Agencies)