China Sentences Former Nanjing Official to Death Over $325 Million Bribery Scandal

A court in eastern China has sentenced former senior Nanjing official Yang Youlin to death after convicting him of accepting bribes worth 2.2 billion yuan (approximately $325 million or £243 million) over a period of three decades, in one of the country’s biggest corruption cases in recent years.

The Changzhou Intermediate People’s Court delivered the verdict on Monday, ruling that Yang had abused his official positions between 1993 and 2023 to illegally enrich himself through a vast network of bribery, embezzlement and abuse of power.

In addition to the death sentence, the court stripped Yang of his political rights for life, ordered the confiscation of all his personal assets and directed authorities to continue recovering any proceeds obtained through his crimes.

According to the court, Yang exploited several influential positions in Nanjing, including his role as executive deputy director of the Nanjing Economic and Technological Development Zone, to help companies and individuals secure engineering contracts, land transfers, financing approvals and other commercial benefits in exchange for enormous cash payments and valuable gifts.

Prosecutors said the total value of the bribes reached 2.2 billion yuan, making it one of the largest individual corruption cases prosecuted under China’s sweeping anti-graft campaign.

Yang was also convicted of embezzlement, misappropriation of public funds, abuse of power, offering bribes and money laundering.

In its judgment, the court described the scale of the offences as “especially huge” and said the crimes had caused “extremely serious” economic losses to the state while severely damaging public trust in government institutions. Judges further ruled that the social impact of the offences was so grave that the harshest punishment permitted under Chinese law was justified.

Although Yang admitted his crimes, expressed remorse during the proceedings and reportedly cooperated with investigators by confessing and providing information about other offences, the court held that these mitigating factors were insufficient to offset the extraordinary scale and consequences of the corruption scheme.

The case has attracted significant attention both within China and internationally because of the enormous amount involved and the severity of the punishment. While Chinese authorities routinely prosecute public officials for corruption, death sentences in financial crime cases are relatively rare and are generally reserved for offences considered exceptionally serious.

Yang’s conviction comes as President Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption campaign continues to target officials across all levels of government. Since the campaign began in 2012, millions of officials have faced investigations, disciplinary measures or criminal prosecution in what Beijing describes as an effort to strengthen public confidence in government institutions and eliminate systemic corruption.

Political analysts say high-profile prosecutions such as Yang’s are intended not only to punish wrongdoing but also to serve as a warning to other public officials entrusted with managing public resources.

Under Chinese law, Yang has the right to appeal the judgment. However, given the court’s unusually strong language describing the gravity of the offences, legal observers believe the case will remain closely watched as it proceeds through the country’s judicial review process.

The sentencing marks another significant chapter in China’s long-running anti-corruption drive, underscoring the government’s willingness to impose the country’s toughest penalties in cases involving massive abuse of public office and illicit personal enrichment.