China Sentences Former Official to Death for Accepting $325 Million in Bribes

Changzhou: A court in eastern China has sentenced former government official Yang Yulin to death after convicting him of accepting bribes worth more than 2.2 billion yuan (approximately US$325 million) over nearly three decades.

According to Chinese state media, cited by the BBC, the 69-year-old official served in several senior government positions in the city of Nanjing between 1993 and 2023. During that period, he abused his authority by accepting large sums of money and valuable gifts in exchange for awarding engineering contracts, approving land transfers, and providing financial favors.

The court also found Yang guilty of embezzlement of public funds, abuse of power, and money laundering, in addition to bribery.

Authorities described the case as one of the largest financial corruption scandals uncovered in recent years.

In its verdict, the court in Changzhou said Yang’s crimes were “extremely serious” and had caused significant losses to the interests of the state and the public.

The investigation into Yang was conducted under Chinese President Xi Jinping’s nationwide anti-corruption campaign, which has expanded to the military, banking sector, and other key areas of government.

Critics argue that the campaign has at times been used against political rivals, while the Chinese government maintains that it is an essential effort to eliminate corruption and strengthen governance.

Death sentences for white-collar crimes are relatively rare in China, but courts may impose capital punishment in exceptionally large corruption cases, particularly when the amount involved exceeds one billion yuan.

Previously, former financial executive Lai Xiaomin was executed in 2021 after being convicted of accepting nearly 1.8 billion yuan in bribes. In 2024, former Inner Mongolia official Li Jianping was also executed after being found guilty of embezzlement and bribery involving more than 3 billion yuan.

Chinese courts often hand down life imprisonment or suspended death sentences in corruption cases, with some sentences later commuted to life imprisonment. In certain cases, defendants who cooperate with investigators or provide information about other offenders may receive reduced sentences.

According to the court, Yang cooperated with investigators during the inquiry and confessed to his crimes, expressing remorse in his final statement. However, the court ruled that the gravity of his offenses was too severe to justify a reduced sentence.