Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
A court in eastern China has sentenced former senior government official Yang Youlin to death after convicting him of accepting more than 2.21 billion yuan (about $325 million) in bribes over a 30-year period, making it one of the country's largest corruption cases in recent years.
The Changzhou Intermediate People's Court in Jiangsu Province delivered the judgment on Monday, ruling that Yang's crimes were "extremely serious" and had caused "exceptionally heavy losses to the interests of the state and the people." In addition to the death sentence, the court ordered the deprivation of his political rights for life and the confiscation of all his personal property.
Yang, 69, served in various government positions in Nanjing between 1993 and 2023, including as Executive Deputy Director of the Administrative Committee of the Nanjing Economic and Technological Development Zone. Prosecutors said he exploited his official positions to help companies and individuals secure engineering contracts, land transfers, business operations and financing in exchange for enormous sums of money and valuable gifts.
Beyond bribery, the court also convicted Yang of embezzlement, offering bribes, misappropriation of public funds, abuse of power and money laundering. He received separate prison terms and fines for those offences, but the court ultimately imposed the death penalty after combining all the convictions because of the gravity of his crimes.
According to the court, Yang illegally accepted money and valuables worth more than 2.21 billion yuan over three decades, ranking his case among the largest corruption scandals prosecuted in modern Chinese history. Authorities also ordered that all illegal proceeds be recovered and returned to the state wherever possible.
During the trial, Yang pleaded guilty, admitted responsibility for the offences and expressed remorse. He also cooperated with investigators throughout the investigation and court proceedings. However, judges ruled that although these actions ordinarily qualify as mitigating factors, the scale of the corruption and the damage caused outweighed any grounds for leniency, making a lighter sentence inappropriate.
Public hearings in the case were held over two sessions in March and April, with more than 30 people attending the proceedings. The court said the evidence presented established that Yang had abused public office for personal enrichment over an extended period while occupying multiple influential positions within the local government.
Yang's conviction forms part of President Xi Jinping's sweeping anti-corruption campaign, which has remained one of the defining features of his administration since taking office in 2012. The campaign has targeted thousands of officials across different levels of government, state-owned enterprises, the military and the financial sector. Chinese authorities say the initiative is intended to strengthen discipline within the Communist Party and restore public confidence in government institutions.
In recent years, China has handed down several severe punishments in major corruption cases involving senior officials. Some defendants have received lengthy prison terms, while others have been sentenced to death or death with a two-year reprieve, depending on the seriousness of the offences and the amount of illicit wealth involved. Yang's case is regarded as one of the most significant because of the extraordinary value of the bribes and the duration of the criminal conduct.
Legal analysts say the verdict underscores Beijing's continued determination to pursue high-profile corruption cases, particularly those involving senior officials accused of abusing public office for personal gain. The case also serves as another demonstration of the severe penalties available under Chinese law for large-scale corruption offences.
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