BEIJING: A former Chinese mining tycoon was sentenced to death Friday for leading a crime gang that killed rivals, a state news agency reported, in a case that revealed ties between organized crime and politicians.

Liu Han had been chairman of energy conglomerate Sichuan Hanlong Group in the southwestern province of Sichuan, which owns stakes in Australian and US mines. He disappeared in March 2013, temporarily disrupting deals to finance mine development in Nevada and Australia, before police announced he had been detained. The death sentences for Liu Han and his brother Liu Wei were the first in trials of their 36-member gang by a court in the central province of Hubei, the Xinhua News Agency said.

The penalties come amid an anti-corruption crackdown launched by Chinese President Xi Jinping that has ensnared senior politicians and influential businessmen.

Many of the Sichuan cases are believed to be linked to Zhou Yongkang, a former member of the Communist Party’s Standing Committee, the country’s ruling inner circle. He is believed to be a target of the wide-ranging graft investigation.

Zhou’s son, Zhou Bin, was a business partner of Liu Han, according to Caixin, a leading business magazine, and other Chinese media.

On Friday afternoon, state television aired a 50-minute report about the sentencing with rare footage from the courtroom. A tearful Liu Han was shown apologizing to the court.