The mistress of the Party committee's former secretary in Yining city, in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, was recently sentenced to 15 years in prison for bribery, iyaxin.com reported on Monday.

Du Yan, who used to be a vice-president of a gas company in Urumqi, in Xinjiang, conspired with Jiao Baohua, secretary of Yining city's Party committee, to grant land to real estate developers and took 2.1 million yuan ($330,000) in bribes, according to the report.

Du claimed in court that she was only an intermediary between Jiao and the real estate developers and didn't take bribes. She has appealed her sentence to a higher court, the report said.

Jiao was sentenced to death with two years' reprieve on April 26.