Yu Zhifei, the former general manager of the Shanghai International Circuit, has been sentenced to four years in prison for embezzlement. Yu was found to have embezzled nearly $140,000 and on top of his prison sentence, was handed a fine of $41,000.
Yu is a former government official who has been credited with helping bring F1 to China. He was in charge of the track when the sport debuted in the country in 2004.
The embezzlement investigation focused on his time in charge of Shenhua football club between 1997 and 1999. His case is not the only one it is part of a wide crackdown on misuse of government funds and is reported to involve more than 20 other government officials.
