XINING, Nov. 18 -- A former senior legislator of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region was sentenced to 12 years in prison for accepting bribes, according to court verdict announced on Friday.

Li Zhi, former deputy head of the standing committee of Xinjiang regional people's congress, was also fined 1 million yuan (145,119 U.S. dollars), according to the verdict by the Intermediate People's Court of Xining, capital city of northwest China's Qinghai Province.

Before becoming a senior legislator, Li held several positions in Xinjiang, including chief of the Communist Party of China (CPC) committee of the regional capital Urumqi.

Between 1996 and 2013, Li took advantage of his positions to seek profit for others on construction projects, land development and promotions, as well as extorting and accepting bribes totaling about 13.19 million yuan, which will be confiscated and turned over to the state treasury, the verdict said.

The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the CPC announced an investigation into Li in March 2015, before his trial in Xining began June this year.