An ex-official convicted of graft in east China's Anhui Province has recently filed suit against a reporter for alleging she traded sex for career advancement.

Shang Jun, 53, once vice director-general with the Anhui provincial department of health, has sued freelance reporter Zhang Guohua for cooking up "a large number of imaginary elements" against her.

In 2006, Zhang published a story in Qianwei, a Hubei-based magazine, when Shang was detained by police, alleging the corrupt official had "traded sex with two senior officials in Anhui for her political career."

According to Sun Chaohai, Shang's agent, the ex-official demanded a public apology from Zhang and compensation of 200,000 yuan (around 29,200 US dollars) for mental trauma.

"Although she is a criminal in jail, she deserves the protection of her decency and reputation as a human being," Sun said.

In March, Shang started legal proceedings against Qianwei and won a public apology. She also received 60,000 yuan in compensation.

Shang, once tasked with rooting out corruption in the landlocked province, was jailed in 2007 for 10 years for taking up to 906,500 yuan in bribes as head of the party's disciplinary committee in Fuyang City.

She was found guilty of taking bribes for arranging jobs and construction contracts for others.

(Xinhua News Agency September 9, 2008)