India, May 30 -- Shi Yongxin, the former abbot of China's world-famous Shaolin Temple, has been sentenced to 24 years in prison after being convicted on multiple counts of embezzlement, misappropriation of funds, and bribery. The verdict, delivered by the Intermediate People's Court of Xinxiang City in Henan Province on Friday, marks a dramatic end to the career of a figure once celebrated for modernizing the birthplace of kung fu. In addition to his lengthy prison term, the 60-year-old former monk was ordered to pay a fine of 3.5 million yuan, approximately $516,000.

The court's ruling revealed a vast web of financial misconduct spanning more than two decades. According to official reports from Xinhua, Shi, born Liu Yingcheng, used his ...