DANDONG, Northeast China - A batch of former Chinese soccer referees including Lu Jun, Huang Junjie and Zhou Weixin were sentenced in prison for accepting bribes by a northeast Chinese court on Thursday.

China's former top soccer referee "Golden Whistle" Lu Jun, who was a 2002 World Cup referee, was sentenced to five and a half years in jail for accepting bribes for match-fixing.

Huang Junjie was sentenced to seven years in prison for accepting bribes as non-state staff and confiscation of his personal property worth 200,000 yuan ($31,760) by the court in the first instance.

Huang used to be one of the best-known soccer referees in China. He had a more than 20-year-long career as a referee and was certified as an international level referee in 1998.

Former soccer referee Zhou Weixin was sentenced to three years and six months in prison for accepting bribes as non-state staff.

The court has deliverd first verdict on graft charges of five former soccer referees.

【新闻快讯】

2月16日，丹东中级人民法院对中国足坛反赌案部分涉案人员进行首批的一审宣判，黄俊杰、陆俊、周伟新、万大雪等首批受审人员审判结果已公布。上述涉案人员也将转入监狱正式进入服刑期。

辽宁省丹东市中级人民法院作出一审宣判，判处前足坛“金哨” 陆俊有期徒刑5年零6个月，罚金10万，没收非法所得78万；黄俊杰因非国家工作人员受贿罪，被判处有期徒刑7年，罚金20万，并追缴全部贿金；判处周伟新犯非国家工作人员受贿罪处以3年有期徒刑，犯非国家工作人员行贿罪处以1年有期徒刑，决定执行有期徒刑3年6个月；判处原中超公司总经理吕锋犯非国家工作人员受贿罪及行贿罪，处以有期徒刑6年零6个月。罚金15万人民币。而某涉案公司被判处罚金300万元。