LANZHOU, March 17 -- A former transport official in northwest China's Gansu Province has been sentenced to life in prison for taking bribes, the provincial higher people's court announced on Monday.

Yan Chenglu, former director of the transportation bureau of Lanzhou City, capital of the province, was convicted of taking large sums in bribes in exchange for favors, according to the court.

Yan was detained for taking bribes on May 31, 2012. He was given a life sentence during his first trial by the Lanzhou Municipal Intermediate People's Court in December 2012.

Bribes Yan accepted included 10.3 million yuan (about 1.7 million U.S. dollars) as well as 20,000 pounds during his term from April 2007 to April 2012, the court said.

The first-instance verdict by the court also deprived Yan of his political rights for life and confiscated all his personal assets.

Yan appealed after the ruling. The Gansu Provincial Higher People's Court tried the appeal case on August 20, 2013. It finally rejected the appeal and upheld the original verdict, according to sources with the court.