A former senior official of the Ministry of Justice has been sentenced to five years and a half in jail for taking bribes and leaking national judicial exam questions and answers, the procuratorate of east China's Zhejiang Province said Tuesday.

Lin Jiandong, former director of a supervision office in the ministry, was convicted of the crimes of accepting bribes and leaking state secrets by the Hangzhou Intermediate People's Court on Monday, according to the Zhejiang procuratorate.

Lin, who participated in setting the examination paper, first gave questions and answers in July 2007 to the daughter of a friend, Shi Yudan, who had failed twice in the exam.

In China those who want to be judicial officers or lawyers must pass the exam and get a certificate.

However, the questions and answers were spread to 22 other examinees by a seller of exam tips named Yu Shuquan. Yu acquired the exam leak from Shi's ex-boy friend.

Lin leaked exam information again in August and September and took bribes totaling 40,000 yuan (5,851 U.S. dollars) from a court clerk and a law official employee.

It is not known yet whether Lin plans to appeal against the ruling or not.

Thirteen others, including the exam tips seller and examinees, have so far been sentenced to between six months and four years and six months to jail under the crimes of leaking state secrets and acquiring state secrets via illegal means.

The 13 people have confessed to their crimes.

(Xinhua News Agency February 24, 2009)