Gao Shouhong, former deputy general manager of Kweichow Moutai Group, maker of China's famous Moutai liquor, was sentenced to 10 years in prison after being convicted on bribery charges Monday.

The sentence, passed at a local court in southwest China's Guizhou province, also includes a fine of 500,000 yuan (about 70,636 U.S. dollars) and the confiscation of Gao's illegally gained property worth over 7.17 million yuan.

The court found that from 2009 to the second half of 2018, Gao used his position in the state-owned group to receive an enormous amount of illegal bribes and seek interests for others in various projects.

The court said the sentence showed leniency, taking into consideration that Gao was cooperative in the investigation and he surrendered his illegal earnings.