China sentences former official Yang Youlin to death in major corruption case.
Yang Youlin accepted 2.21bn yuan in bribes over three decades, court rules.
Death sentence reflects China's continuing anti-corruption campaign under Xi Jinping.
The Changzhou Intermediate People's Court in Jiangsu province sentenced former civic official Yang Youlin to death on July 6. Authorities convicted Yang of accepting over 2.21bn yuan ($325mn) in illicit payments over three decades, spanning from 1993 to 2023. The court stated he "illegally accepted property and assets" during this period.
The ruling ranks among the largest corruption cases in recent Chinese history. His convictions included bribery, embezzlement, offering bribes, misappropriating public funds, abusing power and money laundering, Times of India reported.
The court handed down a straight, immediate death sentence without reprieve, thairath.co.th reported. This bypasses the typical two-year suspension usually applied in Chinese graft cases. Under national law, the capital punishment ruling remains subject to review and final approval by the Supreme People’s Court.
Three Decades of Influence
His influence spanned multiple sectors. Yang held numerous leadership positions across Nanjing's development zones throughout his career. These roles included executive deputy director, deputy director and inspector of the administrative committee at the Nanjing Economic and Technological Development Zone, asiaone.com reported.
He subsequently served as director of the Jiangning District Construction Bureau. He also worked as the general manager of the Jiangning Economic and Technological Development Corporation and deputy director of the Nanjing Private Science and Technology Park management committee, scmp.com reported.
Further assignments involved working as executive deputy director of the Nanjing Jiangning Science Park, chairman and adviser for the Nanjing Niushoushan Cultural Tourism Area and development consultant for the Nanjing Jiangning Binjiang Economic Development Zone. The court stated that the bribes were paid in exchange for assistance with "undertaking projects, business operations, land grants and working capital".
Court Proceedings and Campaign
The trial drew public attention. Authorities conducted public hearings over two days in March and April, which more than 30 people attended.
During the proceedings, Yang delivered a final statement in which he "expressed his guilt and remorse", the court stated. Following the conviction, the court ordered the complete confiscation of Yang's personal assets. It directed authorities to recover the full amount obtained through the bribes.
The investigation into Yang occurred as part of President Xi Jinping's long-running anti-corruption campaign, which critics argue is also used to sideline political opponents.
Precedents of Capital Punishment
Yang is among several senior Chinese officials who have received the death penalty in corruption cases in recent years. In 2021, Lai Xiaomin, the former Communist Party secretary of a state-owned financial company, was sentenced to death and executed after being convicted of accepting bribes, embezzlement and bigamy.
More recently, in 2024, former Inner Mongolia official Li Jianping was executed after being found guilty of embezzlement and bribery.
