Former Chinese Official Sentenced to Death for Accepting $325 Million in Bribes

A court in eastern China has handed a death sentence to former senior city official Yang Youlin after finding him guilty of accepting more than 2.2 billion yuan (approximately $325 million) in bribes over a period spanning three decades.

Yang, 69, who held several key government positions in Nanjing between 1993 and 2023, was convicted of multiple offences, including bribery, embezzlement, abuse of power, and money laundering. Chinese state media reported that the total value of his illegal gains ranks among the largest corruption cases recorded in recent years.

According to the court, Yang abused the authority of his various public offices to assist businesses and individuals in securing engineering contracts, land deals, and financing arrangements. In return, he received substantial sums of money and valuable gifts.

The ruling was delivered by a court in Changzhou on Monday, which described Yang’s crimes as “extremely serious” and said his actions caused “exceptionally heavy losses to the interests of the state and the people.”

Yang’s conviction comes as part of President Xi Jinping’s long-running anti-corruption campaign, which has targeted thousands of officials across government institutions, the military, and the financial sector. Since assuming office, Xi has made the fight against corruption a central pillar of his administration, although critics argue that the campaign has also been used to sideline political opponents.

While China frequently prosecutes public officials for corruption, death sentences for financial crimes are relatively uncommon. Such punishments are generally reserved for cases involving exceptionally large sums, often exceeding one billion yuan.

Yang’s case follows several high-profile convictions in recent years. In 2021, former financial executive Lai Xiaomin was executed after being found guilty of accepting 1.8 billion yuan in bribes over a decade. More recently, in 2024, former Inner Mongolia official Li Jianping was executed after authorities found he had embezzled and accepted bribes totaling more than 3 billion yuan.

In many corruption cases, Chinese courts instead impose lengthy prison terms or suspended death sentences, which are often commuted to life imprisonment after a specified period. Authorities have also reduced sentences in certain cases where convicted individuals cooperated with investigators or provided information leading to the prosecution of other offenders.