Chief Justice Zhou Qiang delivers a work report of the Supreme People's Court at a plenary meeting of the NPC at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on March 12, 2019. [Photo by Feng Yongbin/chinadaily.com.cn]

Nationwide 33,000 people were last year convicted of taking bribes or duty dereliction, a report published Tuesday said.

Among them were 18 officials at or above ministerial level, including Sun Zhengcai.

Sun, former Chongqing Party chief and former member of the Political Bureau of the 18th Communist Party of China Central Committee, was sentenced to life in prison for taking bribes of over 170 million yuan ($26.7 million) on May 8, 2018.

Another 2,466 people were convicted of offering bribes last year, according to the annual work report of the Supreme People’s Court.

The report is under review at the ongoing session of the National People’s Congress, the country’s top legislature.

The top court also issued an announcement together with the National Commission of Supervision to push corrupt fugitives to return to China to face justice, the report said.