Star Chinese scientist and assistant jailed for embezzling research funds

A prominent scientist at China Agricultural University in Beijing who once headed the country’s State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology was sentenced to 12 years in jail earlier this month for embezzling over Yuan34 million (£3.8 million) in research funds, according to The South China Morning Post. He is considered a pioneer in transgene biology. In its verdict, a court in the north-eastern Jilin province found Li Ning guilty of illicitly transferring this money to various companies he controlled. Besides the prison sentence, Li was also fined Yuan3 million, and his assistant, Zhang Lei, received a prison sentence of five years and eight months on top of a Yuan200,000 fine for a similar charge, the news outlet says.