A former economic development official in Nanjing, in eastern China, was handed the death sentence over bribes amounting to $325 million, collected over three decades.
As per the details, Yang Youlin was also found guilty of embezzlement, offering bribes, misappropriating public funds, abuse of power and money laundering, making the case one of the largest corruption prosecutions China has seen in recent years in terms of the amount of money involved.
His prosecution came as part of President Xi Jinping’s long-running anti-corruption campaign, which critics argue has also been used to sideline Xi’s political opponents.
According to the Changzhou Intermediate People’s Court, Yang received the bribes in exchange for facilitating “projects, business operations, land grants and working capital”.
The court said that between 1993 and 2023, Yang “illegally accepted property and assets” amounting to more than 2.21 billion yuan, or roughly $325 million.
The court in Jiangsu province said that Yang gave a final statement in which he “expressed his guilt and remorse”. Photos released by the court show him, gray-haired and dressed in a dark jacket, standing flanked by two uniformed police officers.
Court proceedings were held publicly over two days in March and April, drawing more than 30 attendees, the court said, adding that Yang’s personal assets would now be confiscated as authorities move to recover the full sum tied to the bribery.
Yang becomes the latest in a series of Chinese officials handed death sentences over corruption charges in recent years.
In 2021, Lai Xiaomin, then party secretary of a state-owned firm, was sentenced to death and executed on charges including bribery, embezzlement and bigamy.
In 2024, Li Jianping, an official in Inner Mongolia, was executed after being convicted of embezzlement and bribery.
