He was then expelled from the Chinese Communist Party, convicted on charges of abuse of power and bribery, and sentenced to 13 years in prison.
Li entered Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT) in September 1975, majoring in electric engineering, where he graduated in July 1978.
Li gained back his alternate membership on the Central Committee at the 18th Party Congress in November 2012, with a seemingly optimistic political trajectory.
[7] On December 5, 2012, state media announced that Li was being investigated by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) for "serious violations of laws and regulations".
[9] Li's downfall sent shockwaves through the Sichuan political establishment; it was also seen as a harbinger of the fate awaiting the much more powerful former national leader Zhou Yongkang.
On December 6, Shen Yong (申勇), a district-level official, posted lengthy statements to his microblog about Li's alleged wrongdoings.
They cite his efforts to integrate development of urban and rural regions, his bold initiatives to tear down and renovate old parts of town.
It was believed that his corruption case was related to the new construction projects that took place as a result of his initiatives to raze old city buildings.
Deng allegedly paid three million yuan (~$488,000) for Li to move the party boss's family graves to a more auspicious burying ground.
[15] Li was convicted on all charges, and was said to have taken bribes amounting to some $6.3 million; however, his sentence was reduced for cooperating with the authorities and voluntarily offering up his assets for scrutiny.