China sentences ex-official to death for receiving over Sh41.8bn bribes

A Chinese court has sentenced a former senior Nanjing official to death after finding him guilty of accepting more than 2.2 billion yuan (Sh41.8 billion) in bribes over three decades.

The Changzhou Intermediate People's Court said on Monday that Yang Youlin accepted money and property illegally while serving in various government positions between 1993 and 2023.

According to BBC and Al Jazeera, prosecutors said the payments were made in exchange for Yang's help in securing projects, facilitating business operations, approving land grants and providing working capital.

In addition to bribery, the court convicted Yang of embezzlement, offering bribes, misappropriating public funds, abuse of power and money laundering.

The combination of charges makes the case one of China's highest-profile corruption scandals in recent years.

Court documents and photographs released by authorities showed Yang standing between two uniformed police officers. In its ruling, the court said he had "expressed his guilt and remorse". Reuters was unable to reach Yang or his lawyer for comment.

The court said public hearings were held in March and April and attended by more than 30 people. Authorities also ordered the seizure of Yang's personal assets and vowed to recover the full amount allegedly obtained through corruption.

Yang's prosecution is part of President Xi Jinping's long-running anti-corruption campaign, a sweeping crackdown that has brought down thousands of officials across China.

Several other high profile corruption cases have also resulted in death sentences. In 2021, Lai Xiaomin, a former state-owned enterprise executive, was executed after being convicted of accepting bribes and other offences.

In 2024, former local official Li Jianping was executed after being convicted of embezzlement and bribery. Earlier, in 2018, Zhang Zhongsheng was sentenced to death for accepting more than 1 billion yuan in bribes, although the sentence was later commuted to a suspended death sentence and eventually reduced to life imprisonment on appeal.