XI'AN, April 9 -- Liao Shaohua, a former provincial-level official in southwest China's Guizhou Province, was sentenced to 16 years in prison for bribery and abuse of power on Thursday.

Liao was tried by the Intermediate People's Court in Xi'an, capital city of Shaanxi Province. The court handed down the first-trial sentence and ordered confiscation of property belonging to Liao worth 1.3 million yuan (209,600 U.S. dollars).

Liao served as a member of the standing committee of the Guizhou Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China and acted as Party Secretary in Zunyi City before a discipline investigation was launched in 2013.

According to court proceedings, Liao took bribes worth more than 13.2 million yuan while serving as mayor of Liupanshui City and Party Secretary of Qiandongnan Prefecture from 2004 to 2012.

His abuse of power caused 3.1 million yuan in losses to fiscal funds.

The court said that the sentence was given with leniency as Liao confessed his crimes during the investigation and returned some of his illegal income.

Liao is among the high-ranking "tigers" caught after China's top anti-graft organ started sending inspectors to provinces and regions to check for suspected "serious disciplinary violations" in 2012.