Beijing, Apr 26 (IANS): Five people, including two officials, in China's Shanxi province have been imprisoned for their roles in falsifying a civil service candidate's physical examination records.

The Jiao district People's Court of Changzhi sentenced Zhao Bo, former vice director of the city's human resources and social security bureau, to 11 years for taking 100,000 yuan ($15,900) to disqualify candidate Song Jiangming while ensuring that the runner-up candidate is recruited, Shanghai Daily reported.

Song, though taking the top rank in the written examination and job interview for the local environmental protection bureau's civil service test, was eliminated at the last minute over claims that he had not passed the blood test.

Follow-up investigations showed the results of Song's blood test were tampered with in order to disqualify him. He was recruited by the bureau after the truth came out.

The court also sentenced Ji Xinrui, a former local human resource official, to 18 months after he was convicted of taking a bribe of 17,000 yuan for the same purpose as Zhao.

Jia Zhihong, the father of the runner-up candidate and the man who offered the bribes to Zhao and Ji, was jailed for 18 months with a respite of two years.

Han Yumei and Yang Wenfang, who handled the physical exams of candidates at a local hospital, received sentences of one year and six months, respectively, each with a respite of a year, after they were found responsible for altering Song's blood test results as Zhao had required. Zhao, Ji and Han have appealed.