Two bosses of a property development company that built a 13-storey building which fell over in Shanghai last year have been jailed for life on graft charges, state media reported on Wednesday.

A construction worker was killed when the building toppled in June, highlighting concerns over quality standards, soaring real estate prices and corruption as Shanghai prepared for next month's World Expo.

The two men, Zhang Zhiqin, 51, and Que Jingde, 52, were the largest shareholders in Shanghai Meidu Real Estate, which built the apartment complex.

They went on trial last month and the court announced their life sentences on Wednesday, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

"Zhang violated work and safety regulations and held responsibility for the accident that left one man dead and led to considerable financial losses for the real estate firm," Xinhua reported, citing the judgment.

Both were convicted of graft and Zhang was also found guilty of embezzlement after diverting 440 million yuan (64.4 million dollars) in company funds into investments for personal gain.

The pair took an additional 40 million yuan in company funds over a seven-month period starting September 2000, the report said.

Zhang was board chairman and legal representative for Meidu.

Que, also a former chairman of Meidu's board, was the largest shareholder in the company, with a 15-percent stake at the time of the accident. He was also an assistant to the local government director in Shanghai's Meilong area.

In February, the real estate developer's on-site manager and a construction firm general manager were given five-year prison terms for safety violations, while four other managers and supervisors received shorter sentences.