A court in eastern China has sentenced former senior economic development official, Yang Youlin, to death after his conviction over offence of dishonesty accepting more than 2.21 billion yuan (about $325 million) in bribes over a 30-year period.
The unlawful act, which is regarded as one of the country’s largest corruption cases in recent years, was seen as multiple offences, including bribery, embezzlement, offering bribes, misappropriation of public funds, abuse of power and money laundering, as judged during the sitting.
At the Changzhou Intermediate People’s Court in Jiangsu Province where the case was held, Yang was said to have illegally amassed the enormous fortune between 1993 and 2023, using his official positions to provide favours to businesses and individuals in return for financial benefits.
The court ruled that the bribes were paid in exchange for assistance in securing project contracts, facilitating business operations, obtaining land grants and accessing working capital.
In a statement released after the judgment yesterday, authorities submitted that Yang used his influence over several decades to exploit public office for personal enrichment, seriously undermining state interests and public confidence in government institutions.
During the proceedings, Yang delivered a final statement expressing remorse for his actions. The court said he acknowledged his wrongdoing and pleaded guilty, although his expression of remorse did not prevent the imposition of the death penalty due to the gravity of his crimes.
Photographs released by the court showed the gray-haired former official standing between two uniformed police officers while dressed in a dark jacket during the sentencing.
The trial was conducted through public hearings held over two days in March and April, with more than 30 people attending the proceedings, according to the court.
In addition to the death sentence, the court ordered the confiscation of Yang’s personal assets and directed authorities to recover the full amount of money and property obtained through the bribery scheme.
Yang’s conviction is the latest in a series of high-profile corruption cases prosecuted under Chinese President Xi Jinping’s sweeping anti-corruption campaign, which has been underway for more than a decade. The campaign has led to the investigation and punishment of thousands of government officials, military officers and executives of state-owned enterprises.
While Beijing has described the anti-graft drive as essential to restoring public trust, strengthening party discipline and improving governance, critics have argued that it has also been used to sideline political opponents and consolidate Xi’s grip on power.
China has continued to impose some of its harshest penalties in major corruption cases, particularly where the amount of money involved is exceptionally large or where the offences are deemed to have caused significant harm to the public interest.
Yang joins a small number of senior officials who have received the death penalty for corruption-related offences in recent years. In 2021, former state-owned financial executive Lai Xiaomin was sentenced to death and executed after being convicted of accepting massive bribes, embezzlement and bigamy. More recently, in 2024, former Inner Mongolia official Li Jianping was executed after being found guilty of bribery and embezzlement.