The former head of China's pharmaceutical watchdog, who was sentenced to death on corruption charges last month, has appealed for leniency in a second hearing of his case.

Zheng Xiaoyu, former director of China's State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA), asked the court of second instance to reconsider his sentence as the "penalty was too severe".

Zheng said he "confessed his crimes" and "cooperated with the investigating prosecutors", which could merit a lighter sentence under Chinese law.

Zheng, 63, was sentenced at the Beijing Municipal No. 1 Intermediate Court on May 29 for taking bribes and dereliction of duty.

He received the death penalty on the graft charge and seven years in prison for dereliction of duty. All his personal property was confiscated and he was deprived of his political rights for life.

Zheng had taken bribes, including cash and gifts, which were worth more than 6.49 million yuan (850,000 U.S. dollars), the court heard.

The bribes were given either directly or through his wife and son.

The court ruled the death sentence was appropriate given the "huge bribes involved and the great damage inflicted on the country and the public by Zheng's dereliction of duty".

The consequences of Zheng's dereliction of duty had proved extremely serious. Six types of medicine approved by the administration during his tenure were fake. Some pharmaceutical companies used false documents to apply for approvals, the court heard.

The court, during the first hearing, accepted Zheng's confession.

As SFDA director, Zheng had overseen the implementation of the Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP), which required companies to obtain a GMP certificate before being able to register new medicines.

The credibility of the system was seriously undermined in July last year when "Xinfu" antibiotic injections, manufactured by Anhui Huayuan Worldbest Biology Pharmacy Company, caused the deaths of six people and severe reactions in more than 80 others.

Zheng, born in December 1944, had worked in the pharmaceutical industry for 23 years in Hangzhou, capital of east China's Zhejiang Province, before he was appointed head of the State Pharmaceutical Administration in 1994.

He was head of the State Drug Administration from 1998 to 2003 and was appointed director of the SFDA in May 2003 after it was established. He retired in 2005.

He first came under investigation by the Communist Party of China's Central Commission for Discipline Inspection in December 2006 and was expelled from the Party in March 2007.

Earlier reports said Zheng's subordinates had provided evidence against their former boss.

Hao Heping, former director of the SFDA's Department of Medical Devices and one of Zheng's former secretaries, was sentenced to 15 years in prison on corruption charges in November last year.

Cao Wenzhuang, former director of SFDA's Department of Drug Registration and also a former secretary of Zheng, has been under investigation since January last year.

China has strengthened inspection over drug companies covered by the GMP system, which was brought into disrepute by a series of health scares and corruption scandals.

Wu Zhen, deputy director of the SFDA said the administration carried out numerous unannounced inspections of drug manufacturers last year and stripped 86 companies their GMP certificates.

"We will tighten the regular examinations of drug producers this year," Wu said.

"GMP is a good system and problems were caused by the companies' violations and a lack of supervision from the administration," Wu said.

Source: Xinhua