Imagine that! Putting money before ethics...

The novelty is not what he did, but that the punishment is so
severe.

China Drug Regulator Gets Death Penalty 05/28/2007 -- A corruption
scandal has resulted in a death sentence for China's top drug
regulator.

State media report Zheng Xiaoyu was convicted and sentenced "on
charges of taking bribes and dereliction of duty."

The Xinhua news agency reports the official was fired in 2005 on
charges he took up to $780,000 in bribes to approve medicine that had
not been tested to ensure its safety.

State media reported that one improperly approved antibiotic killed at
least 10 patients last year before it was taken off the market.

The sentence represents the latest development stemming from growing
alarm over China's poor food-safety record.