The sentence - which, if Liu cooperates with the authorities, is likely to be commuted to life in a relatively comfortable prison - reflects the conflict within a Communist Party torn between the desire to rehabilitate its tarnished image and the need to manage its own internal politics. It had struggled for two-and-a-half years to decide what to do with Liu, a former farmer's son hailed for his professional achievements and with political backers of the highest influence.

In the end, Liu faced charges over just a fragment of the 3 billion yuan embezzlement turned up by investigators. He was convicted of taking 64.6 million yuan in bribes in exchange for contracts and promotions. The court ruled that his assets should also be seized. But, in a move seemingly designed to help Liu escape the death penalty, most of his assets were treated as the property of one of his intermediaries, a businesswoman named Ding Shumiao.

"If he had been charged with the full extent, he would have been executed, there was no escape for him," said a source familiar with his case. "The investigators collected a lot of evidence but only released a small amount to the prosecutors."

Investigators have found that as well as the houses and cars, Liu had accumulated a hoard of paintings and jewellery and had stashed at least 800 million yuan in cash. Reports in state-owned media have suggested that he also kept 18 mistresses.

His true wealth, however, may have been far greater and almost all the properties that investigators did locate were held under the names of intermediaries.