Li Ning, a former academic with the Chinese Academy of Engineering, was sentenced to 10 years in prison and fined 2.5 million yuan ($383,000) for embezzlement in the second-instance trial by a court in Jilin Province, northeast China, on December 8.

A prominent scientist in the field of cloning, as well as a professor at the Chinese University of Agriculture on genetic breeding and cloning, Li was arrested in June 2016 for funneling state scientific research funds into a transgenic biology project. He was subsequently stripped of his academic title.

Li allegedly used his position as in charge of managing multiple funds for national scientific research projects to embezzle more than 34.1 million yuan ($5.22 million) from 2008 to 2012, which he consequently channeled into his shareholding and holding companies, according to the verdict.