An official who was imprisoned for graft seven years ago received a warm welcome from local officials and businessmen after his recent release.

Hou Wujie, former deputy Party secretary of North China's Shanxi province, was sentenced to 11 years in prison in 2006 for taking bribes.

The court found that Hou received $100,000 and a watch worth 50,000 yuan ($8,009) from September to November 2000 from Shao Jianwei, the then-deputy head of the Taiyuan public security bureau.

Hou was released ahead of schedule early this year. Pictures posted online showed him being welcomed by many officials and coal mine bosses like "a hero returning home", Xinhua News Agency reported on Monday.

The reason why he was given such a warm reception remains unclear. However, he promoted more than 100 officials on the day he received the order that he was removed from his post as Party secretary of Taiyuan, capital of Shanxi province, in 2000.

The report urged an investigation into Hou's early release and those who welcomed him to look for possible illegal conduct that was missed before.