China sentences former government official to death over a massive bribery and corruption case

• Former Chinese official Yang Youlin was sentenced to death after being convicted of accepting more than 2.2 billion yuan ($325 million) in bribes.

• The court found that he abused his government positions between 1993 and 2023 to help companies and individuals secure benefits.

• Yang was convicted of bribery, embezzlement, misappropriation of public funds, abuse of power and money laundering.

• The case is part of China’s wider anti-corruption campaign targeting high-ranking officials accused of abusing public office.

A Chinese court has sentenced former government official Yang Youlin to death after finding him guilty of accepting more than 2.2 billion yuan (about $325 million) in bribes in one of the country’s major corruption cases.

The Changzhou Intermediate People’s Court in Jiangsu Province handed down the sentence after convicting Yang of multiple offences, including bribery, embezzlement, misappropriation of public funds, abuse of power and money laundering, according to state media reports.

The court found that Yang used his various government positions over several decades to illegally obtain money and valuable assets while helping individuals and companies gain advantages in areas such as engineering projects, land transactions, business operations and financing arrangements.

Prosecutors said the corruption occurred between 1993 and 2023, during which Yang allegedly used his influence and official positions to provide assistance to others in exchange for huge financial benefits.

The court described the amount involved as “especially huge” and said the nature of the offences caused serious damage to public interests.

In addition to the death sentence, the court ordered the confiscation of Yang’s personal property and the recovery of illegal gains linked to his crimes.

Yang, 69, reportedly admitted to the offences and expressed remorse during proceedings. However, the court ruled that the scale of the corruption and the seriousness of the crimes justified the maximum punishment.

The sentencing adds to China’s continuing anti-corruption campaign under President Xi Jinping, which has targeted thousands of officials across government departments, state-owned enterprises, the military and financial institutions.

RELATED: Rain falling from buildings to help combat rising heat in China is turning heads online (video)

Chinese authorities have repeatedly used severe punishments, including the death penalty in exceptional cases, against officials convicted of large-scale corruption. While corruption-related executions are rare, courts have previously handed down capital punishment in cases involving extremely large sums of money and serious abuse of public office.

One of the most notable recent cases was that of Lai Xiaomin, the former chairman of China Huarong Asset Management, who was executed in 2021 after being convicted of accepting hundreds of millions of yuan in bribes, among other offences.

Yang’s case is now among the largest corruption convictions involving a Chinese government official in recent years, highlighting Beijing’s continued efforts to punish high-level corruption and recover illicit assets.