GUIYANG, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- Liu Zili, former vice chairman and general manager of Kweichow Moutai Group, maker of China's famous Moutai liquor, was Monday sentenced to 11 and half years in prison for accepting bribes, a court said.

The sentence, handed down by the Intermediate People's Court of Bouyei-Miao Autonomous Prefecture of Qiannan, Guizhou Province, also includes a fine of 1 million yuan (about 144,600 U.S. dollars) and the confiscation of Liu's illegally gained property.

The court found that from 2008 to 2018, Liu used his position in the state-owned group to seek benefits for others including franchise rights. In return, he received money and valuable worth 18.55 million yuan, either directly or through his family members.

The court said the sentence showed leniency, taking into consideration that Liu was cooperative in the investigation and has already surrendered part of his illegal earnings.

Liu pled guilty in the court.